FOREST EDGE SOLICITORS COMPLAINTS POLICY
If you are unhappy with any aspect of our service, please let us know so we can address it for you and make changes to improve our service for others.
Complaints Process
In the first instance, please send details of your concerns to Matthew Parker, by letter or email on mparker@forestedgesolicitors.co.uk
Once your complaint has been received, the following will take place:
You will be sent an automatic acknowledgement within 3 days of us receiving your complaint, along with this policy.
Your complaint will be reviewed, which will include your file of papers, and you will then receive an initial written response, or contact by telephone. This will be within 7 days of us receiving your complaint.
If you are dissatisfied with our response, then an in-person appointment (or video call) will be arranged to discuss and aim to resolve your complaint. This will be within 14 days of us acknowledging your complaint. Within 3 days of the meeting, the agreed outcome will be confirmed to you in writing, by letter or email.
If the meeting does not resolve matters, a more detailed written response will be provided for the matter to be reviewed by an outside party.
Legal Ombudsman
Should you not be satisfied by the outcome of our internal complaints process, you have the right to contact the Legal Ombudsman on 0300 555 0333, via email at enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk or in writing to:
Legal Ombudsman
PO Box 6167
Slough
SL1 0EH
Any complaint to the Legal Ombudsman must be made:
Within 6 months of receiving our final response to your complaint
and
No more than one year from the date of the act or omission being complained about;
or
No more than one year from the date when you should reasonable have known that there was cause for complaint.
Should you require more information about the Legal Ombudsman, you can visit their website (www.legalombudsman.org.uk ) or contact them on the details above.
Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA)
Should you have any concerns regarding the professional conduct of your solicitor, Forest Edge as a firm, or any member of staff assisting you with your matter, and are not satisfied with the solution offered by our internal complaints procedure, you have the option to contact the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA).
Solicitors Regulation Authority
The Cube
199 Wharfside Street
Birmingham
B1 1RN
For full details on how a complaint can be made to the SRA, visit their website; www.sra.org.uk/consumers/problems/report-solicitor/
PROFESSIONAL INDEMNITY
Professional Indemnity Insurance
We are required pursuant to Regulation 8 (1) (n) of the EU Provision on Services Regulations 2009 to provide you with certain information regarding our professional indemnity insurance.
We confirm that we maintain compulsory professional indemnity insurance with Sompo International Insurance with a current limit of £3m (which can be increased as necessary to cover any matter)
PRIVACY NOTICE (GDPR)
We are Forest Edge Solicitors and we act for clients on a variety of matters.
In order to act on a client’s behalf we will need to hold personal data about them or their company. We are sending you this notice to explain how and why your personal data will be used and how long it will usually be retained for. It provides you with certain information that must be provided by us under the General Data Protection Regulation ( (EU) 2016/679 ) (GDPR).
If you have any queries or want any further information please contact Matthew Parker, Director, Forest Edge Solicitors of 17 Headlands Business Park, Salisbury Road, Ringwood, United Kingdom, BH24 3PB.
We will comply with data protection law and principles (details available on our website).
In order to act on your behalf, we need to hold certain information.
Why are we holding personal data about you and what will we do with it?
We are under a legal obligation to act to the best of our ability and we will only use the information we collect to satisfy that legal obligation.
What sort of data do we hold and where does it come from?
While dealing with this matter we may collect, receive, hold and use the following categories of information about you:
• Information provided by you in correspondence, interviews and recorded in attendance notes;
• Information from publicly accessible sources such as the register of births, deaths and marriages, the Land Registry, social media
• Information provided by third parties, such as your employer, banks, insurance companies and other entities.
Sensitive personal information
We may collect, store and use sensitive personal information to help us comply with your instructions and to enable us to identify and protect your rights and act professionally and competently on your behalf.
Who will we share your data with?
We will only share your data with third parties where it is necessary to do so. This is likely to be government agencies such as HMRC and the Probate Registry and professionals providing services including but not limited to accountants, bankruptcy search providers and medical practitioners as appropriate to assist us in your matter.
We require third party service providers to take appropriate security measures to protect your personal data. We only allow them to use the data for specified purposes in accordance with our instructions. We do not permit them to use your personal data for their own purposes.
How long will you keep my personal data for?
We have to keep all the information relating to your matter for a prescribed period of time following its conclusion but it will be kept no longer than necessary to comply with our legal obligations.
Contact
If you want to review, verify, correct or request erasure of your personal information, or object to the processing of your personal data, please contact Matthew Parker, in writing either by email on mparker@forestedgesolicitors.co.uk or by letter to Forest Edge Solicitors of 17 Headlands Business Park, Salisbury Road, Ringwood, United Kingdom, BH24 3PB.
Alternatively you can take your concerns to the Information Commissioners Office (ICO). Forest Edge Solicitors are registered with the ICO as data controllers. Their website is www.ico.org.uk
