Complaints Policy

If you have a complaint about the way in which your matter has been dealt with this is the procedure which will be followed: -

  • A complaint is an oral or written expression of dissatisfaction which alleges that the complainant has suffered (or may suffer) financial loss, distress, inconvenience, or detriment.

  • We aim to resolve any complaint you have about the service we have given you as quickly as possible.  If you are unable to sort things out with the person who has been handling your matter, please contact Mahesh Patel on 0208 422 2179, via email at mahesh@stenfield.com or by post to Stenfield Solicitors, The Union Building, 51-59 Rose Lane, Norwich, NR1 1BY.

  • Once we have received your complaint, Mahesh Patel will write to you within 7 days with an acknowledgement and will reply fully to your complaint within 28 days.  This is to enable us to carry out a thorough investigation into your complaint and provide you with a detailed response.  If you have made the complaint verbally – either at a meeting or on the telephone – we will set out in our full response our understanding of the nature of your complaint.

  • The assessment of the complaint will be based upon a sufficient and fair investigation.  We will explain in writing our findings, and where the complaint is upheld, will offer remedial action or redress.  This will be actioned promptly.

  • If you are dissatisfied with any aspect of our handling of your complaint, please contact Alpesh Patel at Stenfield Solicitors, The Union Building, 51-59 Rose Lane, Norwich, NR1 1BY, who will conduct a separate review of your complaint.  You will be told about the conclusion of this review within 28 days.

  • If after following the review process you remain dissatisfied with any aspect of our handling of your complaint, you may contact the Legal Ombudsman directly to ask them to consider the complaint further.  Their contact details are:

Legal Ombudsman

PO Box 6167

Slough

SL1 0EH

 Tel no: 0300 555 0333

Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk

Website: www.legalombudsman.org.uk  

Unless it agrees there are good reasons not to do so, the Legal Ombudsman will expect you to allow us to consider and respond to your complaint in accordance with the procedure set out above in the first instance.  You can refer your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman up to 6 months after you have received our final written response to your complaint.  You can also use the Ombudsman service if we have not resolved your complaint within 8 weeks of us receiving it.  A complaint can be referred to the Legal Ombudsman up to one year from the date of the act or omission or up to one year after reasonably knowing there was cause for a complaint.  The Ombudsman deals with service-related complaints only; any conduct-related complaints should be referred to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA)

  • Alternative complaints bodies (such as ProMediate www.promediate.co.uk) exist which are competent to deal with complaints about legal services should both you and our firm wish to use such a scheme.  However, we do not agree to use ProMediate.

  • If you make a valid claim against us for a loss arising out of work for which we are legally responsible, and we are unable to meet our liability in full, you may be entitled to claim from the Compensation Fund administered by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (from whom details can be obtained).

  • We are insured under a SRA-approved professional indemnity insurance (PII) in the case of any serious breaches and should we fail to continue trading, clients can access the SRA’s compensation fund.

 Reviewed 02/01/2025