{"id":19499,"date":"2025-12-11T11:28:26","date_gmt":"2025-12-11T11:28:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/launchpad.nebula.design\/estate-legal\/?page_id=19499"},"modified":"2026-08-07T12:58:36","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T12:58:36","slug":"complaints-policy","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/launchpad.nebula.design\/estate-legal\/complaints-policy\/","title":{"rendered":"Complaints Policy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Complaints Policy<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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1. Purpose and Commitment<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Estate Legal Limited is committed to providing legal services of the highest standard. We recognise that, on occasion, clients may be dissatisfied with an aspect of our service. This policy explains how complaints are handled in a fair, transparent and timely manner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Raising a complaint will not affect how we handle your matter, and we will not charge you for investigating or responding to a complaint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This policy aligns with:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  • the SRA Principles and Codes of Conduct;<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Manual 2 \u2013 Operational Policies & Procedures and Manual 4 \u2013 Staff Handbook; and<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • the firm\u2019s wider governance and risk management framework.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    2. What Is a Complaint?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction about:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    • the service we have provided;<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • the advice given;<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • the way a matter has been handled; or<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • the outcome of a matter.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      3. How to Make a Complaint<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      If you have concerns, we encourage you to raise them as early as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Step 1 \u2013 Informal Resolution<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      In the first instance, you may wish to raise your concerns with the solicitor responsible for your matter. Many issues can be resolved quickly and informally at this stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Step 2 \u2013 Formal Complaint<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      If you do not wish to raise the issue informally, or you remain dissatisfied, you may make a formal complaint by contacting us in writing:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      By post: Client Care Estate Legal Limited Lower Ground Floor Office 16 Whiteladies Road Clifton Bristol BS8 2LG<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      By email: enquiries@estatelegal.co.uk (please include \u201cClient Care\u201d in the subject line)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Please set out the nature of your complaint clearly and concisely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      4. Our Complaints Procedure<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Acknowledgement<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      We will acknowledge receipt of your complaint within 7 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Investigation<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Your complaint will be investigated by Laura Robbetts, our Complaints Manager, or another appropriate director not directly involved in the matter where possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The investigation may include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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      • reviewing the file;<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • speaking with the solicitor involved; and<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • contacting you for further information if required.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

        Meeting or Written Response<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        We will normally:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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        • invite you to a meeting (in person or remotely) within 14 working days of acknowledgement; or<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • if a meeting is not appropriate or requested, provide a detailed written response within 21 days of acknowledgement.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

          Review Stage<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          If you remain dissatisfied, you may request a review. A further response will be provided within 14 working days of receiving your request, setting out our final position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          5. If We Cannot Resolve Your Complaint<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          If your complaint is not resolved to your satisfaction within eight weeks, or you are dissatisfied with our final response, you may refer the complaint to the Legal Ombudsman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          You must do so:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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          • within 6 months of receiving our final written response; and<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • within 1 year of the act or omission complained of, or when you should reasonably have known there was cause for complaint.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

            Legal Ombudsman contact details:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Address: PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton, WV1 3WJ Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk Telephone: 0300 555 0333 (9am\u20135pm) Website: www.legalombudsman.org.uk<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            6. Complaints About Costs<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            If your complaint relates to a bill, you may have the right to apply to the court for an assessment under the Solicitors Act 1974. The Legal Ombudsman may not be able to consider a complaint about a bill that has already been assessed by the court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            7. Complaints About Our Conduct<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) can help if you are concerned about our behaviour, such as dishonesty, misuse of client money or discrimination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Further information is available at: https:\/\/www.sra.org.uk\/consumers\/problems\/report-solicitor\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            8. Recording and Monitoring Complaints<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            All complaints are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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            • recorded in the firm\u2019s Complaints Register;<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            • reviewed for trends or systemic issues; and<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            • considered as part of the firm\u2019s ongoing risk management and annual compliance review.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

              Complaints data feeds into the firm\u2019s risk management and annual governance review under Manual 1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              9. Review of This Policy<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              This policy is reviewed annually and updated as necessary to reflect regulatory or operational changes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["type-page"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/launchpad.nebula.design\/estate-legal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/19499","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/launchpad.nebula.design\/estate-legal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/launchpad.nebula.design\/estate-legal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/launchpad.nebula.design\/estate-legal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/launchpad.nebula.design\/estate-legal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19499"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/launchpad.nebula.design\/estate-legal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/19499\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20244,"href":"https:\/\/launchpad.nebula.design\/estate-legal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/19499\/revisions\/20244"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/launchpad.nebula.design\/estate-legal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19499"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}