In the unlikely event of you not being satisfied with the way in which your matter is being handled you may contact our Client Care Officer, Andrew Isitt. 

We must also advise you that your complaint may encompass matters relating to service standards and our costs and you may be entitled to apply to the court for an assessment of our bill under Part 111 of the Solicitors Act 1974.  However, if all or part of any bill remains unpaid, we may be entitled to charge interest. 

If we are not able to deal with the complaint internally, then you can contact the Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6167 Slough SL1 0EH , Tel No. 0300 555 0333.  Please note, however, the Legal Ombudsman usually allows a period of 8 weeks to allow a firm to resolve complaints that are made.  Normally you will need to bring a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman within 12 months from the date of the act giving rise to the complaint or 12 months from the date when you should have been aware of cause for complaint if later and in any event within 6 months of the date of our final, response to you. The Legal Ombudsman Scheme does not apply to most businesses (except micro-enterprises), charities and clubs with an annual income of more than £1m or Trustees of Trusts with an asset value of more than £1m. 

The Law Society is a designated professional body for the purposes of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, but responsibility for regulation and complaints handling has been separate from The Law Society’s representative functions.  The Solicitors Regulation Authority is independent of The Law Society, and the Legal Ombudsman is the independent complaints handling body.  The Solicitors Regulation Authority can help if you are concerned about our behaviour. This could be for things like dishonesty, taking or losing your money or treating you unfairly because of your age, a disability or other characteristics.

Visit their website to see how you can raise your concerns at: https://www.sra.org.uk/

You have the same rights to complain about any Barrister instructed by E D C Lord & Co on your behalf, and the provisions set out above apply equally in that instance, save that the Bar regulator is the Bar Standards Board ( and not the SRA): https://www.barstandardsboard.org.uk/

 In cases which are complex we may instruct a barrister firm a specialist set of Chambers on your behalf.

 If we do use a barrister and you are dissatisfied with the service or advice provided by the barrister instructed on your behalf, you are entitled to complain directly to the barrister’s Chambers without having to go through this firm.  You may also complain directly to the Legal Ombudsman at the conclusion of their complaints process.

 All barristers must have a formal complaints procedure, details of which can be found on their website or such details can be supplied on request to the barrister’s Chambers.