01323 727321

Complaints Procedure

Client Complaints Policy

Introduction

We are committed to providing a high quality legal service and to dealing with all our clients fairly. We acknowledge that we may not always get it right, so if something has gone wrong, including in relation to the bill, we need you to tell us. Our aim will be to resolve the complaint as quickly and easily as possible.

How do I make a complaint?

Where possible, you should, first raise the issue with the person responsible for your matter to discuss your concerns and we will do our best to resolve any issues. If you do not feel able to discuss your concerns with them, please contact the person responsible for the overall supervision of your matter, who will be named in the client care letter we sent you at the beginning of your matter. If you do not feel able to raise your concerns with either of these people, or you are unsatisfied with their response, please contact our Compliance Officer for Legal Practice (COLP) who has overall responsibility for complaints and whose contact details are: Mrs J Penfold, Hart Reade LLP, 104 South Street, Eastbourne, BN21 4LW, telephone: 01323 727321, email jpenfold@hartreade.co.uk.  If, however, your complaint relates to Mrs Penfold (other than in her role as COLP), please address your complaint to Miss L Mitchell, email lmitchell@hartreade.co.uk.

Your complaint should, if possible, be set out in writing and should be raised as soon as possible after the problem has arisen.

To help us to understand your complaint, and in order that we do not miss anything, please tell us:

    • your full name and contact details

    • what you think we have got wrong

    • how you would like your complaint to be resolved, and

    • your file reference number (if you have it)

If you require any help in making your complaint we will try to help you.

How will you deal with my complaint?

We will record your complaint in our Central Register (for monitoring and management information purposes).

We will write to you within five working days acknowledging your complaint, enclosing a copy of this complaints policy.

We will investigate your complaint. This will usually involve:

    • reviewing your complaint;

    • reviewing your file(s) and other relevant documents; and

    • speaking with the person who dealt with your matter.

We may also need to ask you for further information or documents. If so, we will ask you to provide the information within a specific period of time.

We may also, if appropriate, invite you to a meeting to discuss your complaint. You do not have to attend if you do not wish to or if you are unable to.  We will be happy to discuss the matter with you on the telephone or video conference.

We will write to you at the end of our investigation to tell you what we have done and what we propose to do to resolve your complaint. We will aim to do this within 8 weeks of the date of our letter of acknowledgement.

What if I am not satisfied with the outcome?

If you are unhappy with the outcome of our complaints handling procedure please first let us know and we will review the matter further.

If you are still unhappy you can ask The Legal Ombudsman to look into your complaint. They will look at your complaint independently and it will not affect how we handle your matter.  You can contact The Legal Ombudsman:

    • by post at PO Box 6167, Slough, SL1 0EH

    • by telephone: 0300 555 0333, or

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:

(a) within six months of receiving our final response to your complaint

(b) no more than one year from the date of the act or omission being complained about; or

(c) no more than one year from the date when you should reasonably have known there was cause for complaint.

You may complain to The Legal Ombudsman if you are an individual, a business with fewer than 10 employees and turnover or assets not exceeding a certain threshold, a charity with a net income of less than £1m, a trust with an asset value of  less than £1m, a club/association/organisation the affairs of which are managed by its members/a committee/a committee of its members with a net income of £1m, or if you fall within certain other categories (you can find out more from The Legal Ombudsman).

Alternative dispute resolution (ADR) bodies exist which are competent to deal with complaints about legal services should both you and Hart Reade LLP wish to use such a scheme e.g. Ombudsman Services.  We have, however, chosen not to adopt an ADR process.  If, therefore, you wish to complain further, you should contact The Legal Ombudsman.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority can help you if you are concerned about our professional conduct.  You can raise your concerns with the Solicitors Regulation Authority.  https://www.sra.org.uk/consumers/ 

What will it cost?

 We will not charge you for handling your complaint.

Please note that if we have issued a bill for work done on the matter, and all or some of the bill is not paid, we may be entitled to charge interest on the amount outstanding. This is explained in our Terms of Business.

The Legal Ombudsman service is free of charge.

Responsibilities

The Compliance Officer for Legal Practice (COLP) is responsible for this policy.

Review of our complaints policy

We will review our Complaints policy regularly, at least annually. We will provide information and/or training to staff on any changes we make.

Hart Reade LLP
April 2026