Complaints policy
We value your business and do not wish you to have any reason to be unhappy with us. We are confident of providing a high quality service. It is therefore important that you raise any concerns you may have with us immediately so that we may address them. This will help us to improve our standards.
Our Complaints Procedure
If you are dissatisfied with the service received, or any charges on your bill, please first contact the member of staff handling your matter. They will try to resolve your concerns informally and as quickly as possible, without the need to initiate the formal complaints process.
If your concerns cannot be resolved informally, the member of staff will advise you of our formal complaints procedure and provide you with a copy.
Stage 1
To begin the formal complaints process, please write to Mike McDonnell, our Operations Manager & Complaints Handler, either by email at mike.mcdonnell@nbblaw.co.uk or by post. Clearly mark your correspondence as a “Formal Complaint”.
In your message, please outline the cause of your dissatisfaction and, if possible, the action you would like us to take in order to remedy that dissatisfaction.
Stage 2
We will acknowledge receipt of your complaint within five working days and inform you of the name of the person who will be dealing it.
To ensure independence and objectivity, we may refer Stage 2 to an external complaints handler. If so, they will acknowledge your complaint within five working days of receiving it.
A thorough investigation will then be carried out within 28 days of agreeing the key issues (or “heads of complaint”) with you. If the matter is particularly complex, or if there are delays due to absence or other unforeseen circumstances, we will keep you informed of any changes to this timescale.
All complaints are recorded in our central register, which is reviewed regularly to help us improve our services.
Stage 3
The person investigating your complaint will have full access to all relevant information and personnel needed to carry out a thorough review. They may contact you directly to confirm the agreed issues (heads of complaint) and request any additional information that may assist their investigation.
We will ask the investigator to recommend an outcome that, in their view, aligns with what the Legal Ombudsman might suggest if the matter were referred to them.
Stage 4
Once the investigation is complete, you will receive a detailed assessment report along with any recommendations to resolve your complaint. A copy of this report will first be reviewed by our Managing Director.
If the investigation has been outsourced, we will generally follow the recommendations provided. If we decide not to, we will explain our reasons to you.
We aim to complete the full investigation and provide our final response within 8 weeks from the date we received your complaint. If we need more time due to complexity or other reasons, we will keep you informed.
There is no charge for the time we spend handling your complaint.
Stage 5
If you are still not satisfied, the next step is for you to contact the Legal Ombudsman by one of the following methods:
- Telephone: 0300 555 0333
- Overseas: +44 12 245 3050
- Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
- In writing: PO Box 6167 Slough SL1 0EH
- www.legalombudsman.org.uk
The Ombudsman service is only available to members of the public, very small businesses, charities, clubs and trusts. If you are unclear about your position, then you should contact the Legal Ombudsman direct to clarify whether or not they can deal with your complaint. Alternatively, please refer to the Legal Ombudsman’s scheme rules which are available by clicking on the following link: https://www.legalombudsman.org.uk/information-centre/corporate-publications/scheme-rules/
You have the right to complain to the Legal Ombudsman at the conclusion of our complaints process providing you do so within 6 months of the date of our final written response.
The Legal Ombudsman expects complaints to be made to them within one year of the date of the act or omission about which you are concerned or within one year of you realising there was a concern.
Alternative complaints bodies such as ProMediate (https://www.promediate.co.uk/) exist, which are competent to deal with complaints about legal services should both you and our firm wish to use such a scheme. NBB Law Limited does not agree to use ProMediate as we prefer the Legal Ombudsman’s clear adjudication process.
Complaints About Fees
If you are dissatisfied with our bill, you have the right to apply to the High Court for an assessment of our charges by an Officer of the Court under ss. 70, 71 and 72 of the Solicitors Act 1974.
Before taking this step, we encourage you to first use our complaints procedure outlined above, as we may be able to resolve the issue without the need for formal court action.
Complaints About Misconduct
If you have concerns about serious misconduct or a breach of the SRA Code of Conduct—such as the mishandling of money, dishonesty, or discrimination—you can report the matter directly to our regulator, the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
You can contact the SRA using the details below:
The Solicitors Regulation Authority
The Cube
Wharfside Street
Birmingham
B1 1RN
0370 606 2555
http://www.sra.org.uk/consumers/problems/report-solicitor.page