Mirkwood Evans Vincent Limited is 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. In the first instance, it may be helpful to contact the member(s) of the firm acting for you.

How do I make a complaint?

You can contact us in writing (by letter, fax or email) or by speaking with our directors Corinne Vincent and Katherine Evans. You can contact Corinne by telephone on 020 3034 1090, in writing to 4 Hunns Mere Way, Brighton, BN2 6AH or by email at corinne@mirkwoodevansvincent.com. You can contact Katherine by telephone on 020 3034 1091, in writing to 1 Lancelot House, Kidderminster, DY10 3PG or by email at katherine@mirkwoodevansvincent.com.

To help us process your complaint in a timely manner, and in order to not miss anything, please tell us:

• your full name and contact details
• what you feel went wrong
• what you hope to achieve as a result of your complaint
• your file reference number (if you have it)

If you require any help in making your complaint we will do our best to aid you.

Complaints and conflicts of interest

As a regulated firm of solicitors, we must comply with our professional rules. These require us not to act where we may find ourselves in a position of a conflict of interest. A conflict of interest would arise in a situation where, on the one hand we have a duty to act in your best interests, and on the other hand our own interests (for example, in light of a complaint raised, it would require us to take a different approach).

This should in no way affect whether you choose to make a complaint. However, you should be aware that there are circumstances where, once you have made a complaint, we may no longer be able to act for you on the matter. In this case, we would let you know and discuss with you how best to proceed, bearing in mind our overriding duty to comply with our professional rules.

What will happen once we have received your complaint?

1. Within five working days, we will send you by email or post (as applicable) either (a) a substantive response to the complaint; (b) a request for further information; or (c) notification that the relevant Director is out of the office until a specified date, but will respond to the complaint within five working days of her return to the office.
2. If you are not satisfied with the substantive response to the complaint once received or you have not received such a response within a reasonable timeframe, then you should contact Katherine Evans or Corinne Vincent to arrange a meeting (by phone or in person at the client’s option) to discuss any remaining concerns. Our aim would be for that meeting to take place within one week of the phone call being received, either at an MEV office or a neutral location agreed by both parties.
3. No later than five business days after the meeting, the Director handling the complaint will send out a letter/ email (as applicable) confirming the Director’s understanding of what was discussed, together with details of any agreement reached about next steps or proposed by the firm arising out of the meeting.
4. If you feel at any time that you are not satisfied with the way that the complaint has been handled, you can call us during office hours and ask to speak directly either to the Director handling the complaint or to another Director.

What if I'm 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.

If you are still unhappy you can ask the Legal Ombudsman to look into your complaint.

For further information, you can visit their website on www.legalombudsman.org.uk or contact the Legal Ombudsman:

• by post: PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton WV1 9WJ; or
• by email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk; or
• by telephone: 0300 555 0333

You should usually contact them within six months of the date of our sending to you our final resolution letter. In addition, you should be aware that the Legal Ombudsman will not accept your complaint if:

• more than six years have elapsed from the date of the act or omission giving rise to the complaint; or
• more than three years have elapsed from the time when you should have known about the complaint; or
• the date of the act or omission giving rise to the complaint was before 6 October 2010.

You may also be able to object to our bill by applying to the court for an assessment under Part III of the Solicitors Act 1974. If you exercise this right, you could be prevented from making a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman. In addition, if you apply to the court for an assessment and if all or part of the bill remains unpaid at the end of that assessment, we are entitled to charge interest. There are strict time limits that apply to this process and you may wish to seek independent legal advice.

If you are not a client, you may be able to make a complaint in certain circumstances, for example, where you have an indirect involvement in any matter we are handling for another person and you suffer a loss or other adverse consequences from any actions that we take for them.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority may be able to help you if you are concerned about our behaviour, for example, if you are concerned about dishonesty, taking or losing money or being treated unfairly because of your age, a disability or another characteristic.