Complaints

We are authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA).  We are committed to providing high quality legal advice and client care and aim to offer all our clients an efficient and effective service.

However, if you are not satisfied with any aspect of our service , we ask you to please contact the person in our firm responsible for complaints handling to enable us to deal with your concerns.

Our Director and Principal Solicitor, Naomi Abraham-Bello is responsible for handling complaints and is our designated Complaints manager.

She can be contacted in the following ways:

  • ​by phoning 020 8080 3347
  • by emailing [email protected]
  • in writing to Harper Ashby Bowles Limited, Vision 25, Innova Park, Electric Avenue, London, EN3 7GD

​We are committed to high quality legal advice and client care and are keen to resolve any concerns as soon as possible and in order to do this, will follow our complaints handling procedure.

​Our complaints procedure is as follows:

 

Step One:

​If they have not already done so, we ask our clients to let us know the full nature of the problem.

 

​Step Two:

​Our Complaints manager will write to the client acknowledging their complaint within five working days of receipt.  In that letter, we shall confirm what happens next and provide you with a copy of our complaints handling procedure which sets out further details regarding timescales and next steps.

 

Step Three:

​Our Complaints Manager shall then investigate the complaint by reviewing the matter file and speaking to the member of staff concerned within ten working days of acknowledging receipt of the complaint.

If our Complaints Manager requires further information from the client, this will be requested in writing in the first instance and then followed up by a telephone call where possible.

 

​Step Four:

​Our Complaints Manger will then write to the client detailing the outcome of her investigation within eight weeks of receipt of the complaint.

If the client is satisfied with our response following the above steps, that will be the end of the matter.  If the client is not happy with our response and suggested means of dealing with their complaint, the client may take the complaint further as set out below. 

​Legal Ombudsman

​We are permitted a minimum of eight weeks to consider the complaint.  Clients must always try complaining to us first. In most cases they will not be able to take their complaint further without allowing us the opportunity to put things right. If for any reason we are unable to resolve the problem between us, then our clients may ask the Legal Ombudsman, an independent complaints body to consider the complaint.

Clients are free to refer any complaint to the Legal Ombudsman but there are some conditions and time limits which will apply.

Before accepting a complaint for investigation, the Legal Ombudsman will first check that you have taken steps via our internal complaints procedure to resolve your complaint directly with us first. If you have, then the following timescales will apply to complaints referred to the Legal Ombudsman which must be made:

  • Within six months of receiving a final response to your complaint. and;
  • within 1 year from the act or omission that resulted in the complaint being made. Or;
  • within 1 year from when you should reasonably have realised there was a concern/cause for complaint.

 

If you would like more information about the Legal Ombudsman, you can contact them directly. 

The Legal Ombudsman may be contacted at:

​

Solicitors Regulation Authority

​If someone thinks a solicitor might be dishonest or you have concerns about their ethics or integrity, they have the right to notify our regulator, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA).  There are no time limits for making a report but there are limits on what the SRA will consider. Please note that the SRA is not able to deal with issues of poor service (complaints of this nature should instead be referred to the Legal Ombudsman).

For further information about the SRA’s role, please visit the SRA here.