Legal & Policy

Complaints

Our complaints handling policy

Westbrook Law is committed in providing a high quality legal service to all our clients. When something goes wrong, we need you to tell us about it. This will help us to improve our standards. We will try to resolve the matter fairly and quickly. We will apologise if need be and do our best to offer a practical solution. The Firm’s complaint partner is Mr. Can Ozkutan, who is responsible for this procedure.
Our complaints handling procedure.

First Stage

  1. If you have a concern or a complaint, please contact the person dealing with your case as soon as you are aware of the problem so this can be addressed. If you are still unhappy you can make a formal complaint. Please contact Mr. Can Ozkutan or provide your detailed complaint addressed to Mr. Can Ozkutan, Westbrook Law Ltd, 11/12 Tokenhouse Yard, City of London, EC2R 7AS.

Second Stage

What will happen next?

  1. We will send you a letter acknowledging receipt of your complaint within five working days of you raising your concerns.
  2. We will then investigate your complaint. This will normally involve passing your complaint to our client care partner, Mr.N C Kuruveykkandy, who will review your matter file and speak to the member of staff who acted for you.
  3. Mr. Thavalou Rajah will then invite you to a meeting to discuss and, it is hoped, resolve your complaint. He will do this within 14 days of sending you the acknowledgement letter.
  4. Within three days of the meeting, Mr. Can Ozkutan will write to you to confirm what took place and any solutions he has agreed with you.
  5. If you do not want a meeting or it is not possible, Mr. Can Ozkutan will send you a detailed written reply to your complaint, including his suggestions for resolving the matter, within 21 days of sending you the acknowledgement letter.
  6. At this stage, if you are still not satisfied, you should contact us again to explain why you remain unhappy with our response and we will review your comments. Depending on the matter we may at this stage arrange for another partner or someone unconnected with the matter at the firm, another local solicitor or mediation to review the decision.
  7. We will write to you within 14 days of receiving your request for a review, confirming our final position on your complaint and explaining our reasons.

Third Stage

  1. If you are still not satisfied, you can then contact the Legal Ombudsman. The Legal Ombudsman can help you if we are unable to resolve your complaint ourselves. They will look at your complaint independently and it will not affect how we handle your case.

Before accepting a complaint for investigation, the Legal Ombudsman will check that you have tried to resolve your complaint with us first. If you have, then you must take your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman:

  • Within six months of receiving our final response to your complaint and
  • No more than one year from the date of the act or omission being complained about; or
  • No more than one year from the date when you should reasonably have known that there was cause for complaint.

If you would like more information about the Legal Ombudsman, please contact them on:

Web: www.legalombudsman.org.uk

Tel: 03005550333 (between 9am to 5pm).

Post: Legal Ombudsman PO Box 6167, Slough, SL1 0EH

  1. The Solicitors Regulation Authority can help you if you are concerned about our behaviour. Most of the time, complaints about the service you have received should be sent to the Legal Ombudsman. If the Legal Ombudsman is of the opinion that your case involves a breach of the SRA Principles, the Legal Ombudsman will refer your case to the SRA.

The SRA may investigate matters such as complaints of dishonesty, taking or losing your money or treating you unfairly because of your age, a disability or other characteristic or if you think our firm has breached an SRA Principle Report Solicitor.

Phone:
0370 606 2555 inside the UK (Call costs guide from Ofcom)
International callers:
+44 (0)121 329 6800

Postal Address:
Solicitors Regulation Authority,
The Cube, 199 Wharfside Street,
Birmingham, B1 1RN (map of location) or DX 720293 BIRMINGHAM 47
Westbrook Law Ltd