Complaints Procedure

Updated December 2019

We will endeavour to provide you with the best legal assistance possible. We hope that you, like so many of our clients, will be content with the care and service you will receive from your Counsel and the clerks. If the level of service has fallen short of your expectation, we would welcome feedback from you.

Please note, a formal complaint will be entertained if it is made within 1 year of the date of the cause of the complaint or when informal resolution has failed, whichever is the later.

How you can contact us by telephone or email or by writing is shown below. King’s Bench Godolphin Chambers is fully committed to ensuring that all users of the complaints procedure are treated fairly, with respect and without discrimination based on race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, age, religion or belief. Our aim is to give you a good service at all times. However, if you have a complaint you are invited to let us know as soon as possible. It is not necessary to involve solicitors in order to make your complaint but you are free to do so should you wish. We must point out that we cannot, save in exceptional circumstances, deal with a complaint made to us which is over 12 months from the act, or omission complained of.

You may wish to make a complaint in writing and, if so, please follow the procedure below. If however you would rather speak about your complaint (in order for it to be dealt with informally) then you should contact Deni Mathews, Head of Chambers on 01752 221551. If your complaint is about Deni Mathews, you should contact Rawdon Crozier, on the same number. The person you contact will make a note of the details of your complaint and what you would like done about it. You may wish to record the outcome of the telephone discussion in writing. If your complaint is not resolved on the telephone you will be invited to write to us about it within 14 days so it can be investigated formally.

You can of course make your complaint a formal one form the start. To make a formal complaint, please provide the following details, in writing:

Your name & Address
Which Member(s) of Chambers you are complaining about;
The detail of the complaint; and
What you would like done about it.

Please address your letter to:

Mr D Mathews, Head of Chambers,

KBG Chambers

115 North Hill

Plymouth

Devon

PL4 8JY

Tel – 01752 221551 – Fax – 01752 664379

Email – dm@kbgchambers.co.uk

We will, where possible, acknowledge receipt of your complaint within four days. Our complaints our handled by our Head of Chambers. If your complaint is against the Head of Chambers then the next most senior member of Chambers will deal with the complaint. In any case, the person appointed would be someone other than the person you are complaining about.

The person appointed to investigate will write to you within a further 28 days, or as soon as possible outlining:

The nature and scope of his investigation;
The conclusion on each complaint and the basis for that conclusion;
If it is found that you are justified in your complaint, proposals for resolving the complaint.

All conversations and documents relating to the complaint will be treated as confidential and will be disclosed to only to the extent that is necessary. The Bar Standards Board is entitled to inspect the documents and seek information about the complaint when discharging its auditing and monitoring functions.

As part of our commitment to client care we make a written record of a complaint and retain all documents and correspondence generated by the complainant for a period of six years.

If you are unhappy with the outcome of our investigation you may take up your complaint with the Legal Ombudsman, the independent complaints body for complaints about lawyers, at the conclusion of our consideration of your complaint. The Ombudsman is not able to consider your complaint until Chambers has first investigated it. Please note that the Legal Ombudsman has a twelve-month time limit from the date of the act or omission about which you are complaining within which to make your complaint.

You can write to them at:

Legal Ombudsman

PO BOX 15870

Birmingham

B30 9EB

Tel – 0300 555 0333

Email – Enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk

https://www.legalombudsman.org.uk/faqs-category/who-can-use-our-service/ – full list of who has the right to complain

Link to the decision data on the Legal Ombudsman’s website:

https://www.legalombudsman.org.uk/raising-standards/data-and-decisions/

Should you require any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Timescales to complain to Legal Ombudsman

You must complain to the Legal Ombudsman EITHER within six years of your barrister’s actions/failure to act OR no later than three years after you should reasonably have known there were grounds to complain. You must also complain to the Legal Ombudsman within six months of receiving your barrister’s final responce to your complaint.

Yours sincerely

Colin Palmer

Senior Clerk

King’s Bench Godolphin Chambers