Mike Northern Legal is committed to providing high quality legal services and to dealing fairly with any complaints from our clients. We acknowledge that we may not always get it right so if something has gone wrong, including in relation to the invoice, we need you to tell us.

1 How do I make a complaint?

You can contact Mike Northern Legal in writing by post or email or by speaking with him. The practice’s address is 16 Harbour Walk, Diamond Road, Whitstable CT5 1SG and Mike Northern’s email address is mike@mikenorthernlegal.co.uk

Mike Northern can also be contacted on 07739 551052.

To help us to understand your complaint, and in order that we do not miss anything, please tell us:

i. your full name and contact details;

ii. what you think we have got wrong;

iii. what you hope to achieve as a result of your complaint; and

iv. your file reference number (if you have it).

If you require any help in making your complaint, we will try to help you.

2 How will you deal with my complaint?

We will record your complaint centrally and we will usually write to you within three working days acknowledging your complaint, enclosing a copy of this policy.

i. We will investigate your complaint. This will usually involve: reviewing your complaint; and

ii. reviewing your file(s) and other relevant documents.

We may also need to ask you for further information or documents. If so, we will ask you to provide the information within a specific period of time.

We will update you on the progress of your complaint at appropriate times. We will try to complete the investigation within 14 days of receiving your complaint.

We may also, if appropriate, invite you to a meeting to discuss your complaint. You do not have to attend if you do not wish to or if you are unable to. We will be happy to discuss the matter with you on the telephone. We will aim to confirm the outcome of the meeting or telephone conversation in writing within three working days.

If a meeting or telephone conversation was not possible or required, we will write to you at the end of our investigation to tell you what we have done and what we propose to do to resolve your complaint. Where possible, we will aim to do this within 21 days of receiving your complaint.

3 What if I am 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. We have eight weeks to consider your complaint.

If you are still unhappy (and provided you have given us eight weeks to consider it) you can ask the Legal Ombudsman to look into your complaint. You can contact the Legal Ombudsman:

by post at PO Box 6167, Slough, SL1 0EH;

by telephone: 0300 555 0333; or

by email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk

You must usually refer your complaint within six months of our final written response to your complaint and within six years of the act or omission about which you are complaining occurring (or within three years of you becoming aware of it). Further details are available on the website: www.legalombudsman.org.uk

4 What will it cost?

We will not charge you for handling your complaint.

Please note that if we have issued an invoice for work done on the matter, and all or some of the invoice is not paid, we may be entitled to charge interest on the amount outstanding. The Legal Ombudsman service is free of charge.