Internal Complaints Handling Policy

In keeping with Solicitors Regulation Authority requirements, we have an internal complaints handling policy which is designed for us to attempt to resolve complaints about our services and/or charges.

We are committed to providing you with the highest quality of legal advice and client care; however, if you are unhappy about any aspect of our service or about the bill and you have a complaint, please bring this to our attention as soon as possible so we can try and resolve your complaint without delay.

Helena Donohoe, as the Principal of the firm, is responsible for this procedure. Ms Donohoe can be contacted by email at helena.donohoe@dandco.net, by writing to her at 15 Thayer Street, London, W1U 3JX or by telephone on 0207 831 6336, although it is preferable for you to set out your complaint in writing.

What will happen next?

  1. Within seven working days of receiving your complaint, we will send you a letter or email acknowledging receipt of your complaint and ask you to confirm or clarify any aspect of your complaint if necessary.
  2. We will then investigate your complaint and write to you within 21 days of acknowledging your complaint in writing with our findings and our suggestions for resolving your complaint. If we have to change this timescale, we will let you know and explain why.
  3. If you are still not satisfied with our handling of your complaint and/or decision and matters cannot be resolved through our internal complaints procedure, you can ask the Legal Ombudsman at the Office of Legal Complaints to consider your complaint. They can be contacted at PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton, WV1 9WJ, by email at enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk or alternatively on 0300 555 0333.

When can you refer a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman?

Usually, you should allow us up to eight weeks to resolve your complaint before contacting the Legal Ombudsman. The Legal Ombudsman asks that you contact them within six months of your last contact with us.

Ordinarily, you can refer a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman if your complaint meets all three of the steps below: –

1. The problem or when you found out about it, happened after 5 October 2010; and

  1. You are referring your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman within either of the following: Six years of the problem happening or three years from when you found out about it; and
  2. You are referring your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman within six months of our final response.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority and the Law Society

The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is the independent regulatory arm of the Law Society. The Solicitors Regulation Authority can help if you are concerned about our behaviour. This could be for things like dishonesty, taking or losing your money or treating you unfairly because of your age, a disability or other characteristic. The ways in which you can raise your concerns with the Solicitors Regulation Authority are set out on their website www.sra.org.uk/consumers/problems/report-solicitor