We are a small firm that is committed to providing our clients with a high-quality legal service. If and when something goes wrong, we need you to tell us about it. This not only allows us to explain and apologise to you, but it also helps us to improve our service.

If you have any complaint about how your matter has been dealt with this is the procedure that will be followed:

  1. A complaint is an oral or written expression of dissatisfaction that alleges that the complainant has suffered (or may suffer) financial loss, distress, inconvenience, or detriment.

  2. We aim to resolve any complaint you have about the service we have given you as quickly as possible. If you are unable to sort things out with the person who has been dealing with you please contact:

    Mr Gajan Pathmanathan
    Director
    Smart Legal
    24-28 Bloomsbury Way
    London
    WC1A 2SN
    Tel: 020 3004 7094
    Email: complaints@smartlegal.co.uk


  3. Once we have received your complaint, Gajan Pathmanathan will write to you within 7 days with an acknowledgment and reply fully to your complaint within 28 days. This will enable us to carry out a thorough review of your file, undertake a full investigation into your complaint and provide you with a detailed response. If you have made a complaint verbally – either at a meeting or on the telephone – we will set out in our full response our understanding of the nature of your complaint.

  4. The assessment of the complaint will be based upon a sufficient and fair investigation. We will explain in writing our findings and where the complaint is upheld will offer remedial action or redress. This will be actioned promptly.

  5. If you are dissatisfied with any aspect of our handling of your complaint, please feel free to contact:

    Mahinan Pathmanathan
    Director
    Smart Legal
    24-28 Bloomsbury Way
    London
    WC1A 2SN
    Tel: 020 3004 7094
    Email: complaints@smartlegal.co.uk


    who will conduct a separate review of your complaint. You will be told about the conclusion of this review within 28 days.

  6. If after following the review process you remain dissatisfied with any aspect of our handling of your complaint, you may contact directly the Legal Ombudsman to ask them to consider the complaint further:

    Legal Ombudsman
    PO Box 6167
    Slough
    SL1 0EH

    Tel no: 0300 555 0333
    Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
    Website: http://www.legalombudsman.org.uk/

    Unless it agrees there are good reasons not to do so, the Legal Ombudsman will expect you to allow us to consider and respond to your complaint in accordance with the procedure set out above in the first instance. You can refer your complaint up to 6 months after you have received our final written response to your complaint. You can also use the Ombudsman service if we have not resolved your complaint within 8 weeks of us receiving it. 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. The ombudsman deals with service-related complaints; any conduct-related complaints will be referred to the Council for Licensed Conveyancers.

  7. Alternative complaints bodies (such as ProMediate www.promediate.co.uk) exist that are competent to deal with complaints about legal services should both you and our firm wish to zuse such a scheme. We do not agree to use this scheme.