Complaints

Gowen & Stevens is committed to providing an outstanding service to all our clients. If you feel something has gone wrong we would like you to tell us about it. This will help us to improve our standards. Any client who is unhappy about the service we give, including a complaint about a bill, is entitled to complain. Initially, please raise any complaint you may have with the person who is looking after your matter.  If that does not resolve the issue then a copy of our complaints procedure can be found HERE. Our complaints partner is Deborah Bailey and she can be contacted by email at deborahbailey@gowenandstevens.com or by phone on 020 8661 8611.

Any client who is not satisfied with the way we handle their complaint may be entitled to ask the Legal Ombudsman of England and Wales to consider the complaint. Please note that normally a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman must be made:

• within six months of the date of receiving our final response to your complaint AND
• no more than one year from the date of the act or omission being complained about; or
• no more than one year from the date when you should reasonably have known that there was a cause for complaint.

You may also be entitled to apply for an assessment of a bill under Part III of the Solicitors Act 1974. The Legal Ombudsman may not consider a complaint about a bill if you have applied to the court for assessment. Details as to how you can contact the Legal Ombudsman and further information on the procedure involved can be found at www.legalombudsman.org.uk. You can write to the Legal Ombudsman at PO Box 6167, Slough, SL1 0EH, ring on 0300 555 0333 or send an email to enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk.

Details as to how you can contact the Legal Ombudsman and further information on the procedure involved can be found at www.legalombudsman.org.uk. You can write to the Legal Ombudsman at PO Box 6167, Slough, SL1 0EH, ring on 0300 555 0333 or send an email to enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk.

In some situations, you may also be able to make a complaint to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (“SRA”). You can complain if you think that we have:

• Told lies
• Taken money from you when we should not have done
• Shut down the firm without telling you
• Broken the rules of the SRA (known as the SRA Code of Conduct)
• Discriminated against you because of age, sex, race or another protected characteristic

You can contact the SRA at https://www.sra.org.uk/consumers/problems/report-solicitor/