Complaints Procedure
Unhappy with our service?
At ABL Law, we are committed to providing a high-quality legal service to all of our clients. We hope that you will be satisfied with the service you receive, but if something goes wrong, or if you have any concerns about the way your matter is being handled, we want you to tell us as soon as possible.
Raising a concern gives us the opportunity to look into the issue, respond properly and, where appropriate, put things right. It also helps us improve the service we provide to our clients.
How to raise a concern
If you are unhappy with the level of service you have received, or you have a concern about a bill, please contact the person dealing with your matter in the first instance. Their details will usually be set out in the client care information sent to you at the start of your matter.
Alternatively, you can contact our Complaints Team directly by email at:
Making a complaint will not affect how we handle your case.
What happens after you make a complaint?
Once we receive your complaint, we will acknowledge it by letter or email and confirm who will be responsible for responding to it.
We will normally acknowledge your complaint within 2 working days. We will then investigate the issues you have raised and provide our final response within 8 weeks of receiving your complaint.
Where appropriate, your complaint will usually be reviewed by a Partner in the department that dealt with your case. In some circumstances, we may decide that the complaint should be handled by one of our Complaints Partners.
We will aim to deal with your complaint fairly, promptly and in a way that best suits your needs.
If we cannot resolve your complaint
If you are not satisfied with our final response, or if we have not provided our final response within 8 weeks, you may be able to complain to the Legal Ombudsman.
The Legal Ombudsman looks at complaints about legal services independently. You should usually raise your complaint with the Legal Ombudsman within six months of receiving our final response.
The Legal Ombudsman can usually accept a complaint within one year from the date of the act or omission complained about, or within one year from when you should reasonably have known there was cause for complaint.
Legal Ombudsman contact details
Legal Ombudsman
PO Box 6167
Slough
SL1 0EH
Telephone: 0300 555 0333
From overseas: +44 121 245 3050
Minicom: 0300 555 1777
Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
Website: www.legalombudsman.org.uk
Please note that the Legal Ombudsman may not deal with a complaint about a bill if you have already applied to the court for assessment of that bill.
Complaints about conduct
The Solicitors Regulation Authority, known as the SRA, can help if you are concerned about a solicitor’s or firm’s professional conduct. This may include concerns about dishonesty, taking or losing money, or treating someone unfairly because of age, disability or another protected characteristic.
You can raise concerns with the SRA through their website:
Read our full complaints procedure
For more detail on how we handle complaints, please read our full complaints procedure.