Complaints Procedure

Soma & Co Solicitors is committed to providing a high standard of legal service. If you are unhappy with any aspect of our service or our charges, please tell us so that we have the opportunity to address your concerns. Making a complaint will not affect how we handle your matter.

1. Raising a concern informally
If you are dissatisfied with any aspect of our service, you may first raise the matter with the persondealing with your case. They will try to resolve your concerns promptly and informally where appropriate.

2. Making a formal complaint
A formal complaint should be made in writing by email or post. Please provide your name, contact details, our file reference (if known), a clear description of the issues you would like us to investigate and the outcome you are seeking.

Complaints should be addressed to:
Chandra Somasuntharam
Managing Director and COLP
Soma & Co Solicitors
34 Eastcote Lane
South Harrow
Middlesex HA2 8DB
Email: chandra@somasolicitors.co.uk

3. What happens after we receive your complaint
We will acknowledge your complaint in writing within five working days of receipt.

We will review the complaint and identify the issues raised. Where necessary, we may ask you for further information or clarification.

The Complaints Handler will investigate the complaint. This may include reviewing the relevant file, correspondence and records and speaking to the person or people who acted for you.

Following our investigation, we will provide you with a written response explaining our findings and, where appropriate, any proposed steps to resolve the complaint.

We aim to complete our investigation and issue our final response as soon as reasonably practicable and, in any event, within eight weeks of receiving the complaint. If this is not possible, we will explain the reason for the delay and keep you informed of progress.

4. Internal review
If you remain dissatisfied after receiving our response, you may ask for the decision to be reviewed.

Your request should explain why you remain dissatisfied and should be sent to the Complaints Handler. Where practicable, the review will be undertaken by a partner or senior person who was not directly involved in the matters complained about.

We will confirm the outcome of the review in writing.

5. Legal Ombudsman
If we have not resolved your complaint within eight weeks, or you remain dissatisfied after receiving our final response, you may be entitled to refer the complaint to the Legal Ombudsman. The Legal Ombudsman is independent and deals with complaints about legal services.

Generally, a complaint must be referred to the Legal Ombudsman:

• within one year of the act or omission complained of; or
• within one year from when you should reasonably have known there was cause for complaint; and
• within six months of receiving our final written response.

The Legal Ombudsman may be unable to investigate a complaint that falls outside these time limits.
The Legal Ombudsman can be contacted at:
Legal Ombudsman
PO Box 6167
Slough
SL1 0EH
Telephone: 0300 555 0333
Relay UK: 18001 0300 555 0333
Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
Website: www.legalombudsman.org.uk

6. Solicitors Regulation Authority
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) regulates solicitors and law firms in England and Wales.

The SRA does not usually deal with complaints about poor service; those are generally matters for the Legal Ombudsman. You may contact the SRA if your concern involves possible professional misconduct, such as dishonesty, misuse of client money, discrimination or a serious breach of the SRA Standards and Regulations.

Further information about reporting concerns is available at www.sra.org.uk.

7. Alternative dispute resolution
If our complaints procedure has been exhausted and we are unable to settle your complaint, our final response will, where required, provide details of an approved alternative dispute resolution (ADR) body that would be competent to deal with the complaint and will state whether we agree to
use that scheme. This reflects the SRA requirement applying where the firm’s procedure has been exhausted and the complaint cannot be settled.

8. Accessibility and confidentiality
We will make reasonable adjustments to our complaints process where required. Please tell us if youneed information in a different format or require assistance in making your complaint.

Complaints will be handled as confidentially as reasonably possible, and records will be retained inaccordance with our legal, regulatory and data-protection obligations.