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| STANDARDS OF SERVICE |
| At Beetenson & Gibbon we emphasise to our staff the need to continually improve the standards of service and care that we provide to our clients. Although we cannot provide a perfect service at all times to all clients, we must aim to improve the quality of that service all the time. To this end we have adopted the Law Society's Client Charter as follows: |
| The Client's Charter |
| Whatever legal service you need, you have the right to be treated with care and professionalism by your solicitor. The Client's Charter is your guide to what to expect from your solicitor in terms of customer care. |
| Working Together |
| While your solicitor has various duties to you as their client, they can only give their best advice and service if the information you give them is accurate and complete. |
| A solicitor will: |
- Put your interests first when representing you
- Be polite and considerate in their dealings with you
- Find out from the start what you are hoping to achieve, and aim to make sure that your expectations are realistic
- Make every effort to explain things clearly, and in terms you can understand, keeping jargon to a minimum
- Agree with you the type of service you can expect to receive
- Tell you who will be handling your work
- Explain what the costs are likely to be
- Keep you informed of costs throughout so that you can work out if a particular course of action is worth following financially
- Respond to your letters and phone calls
- Tell you about any developments and update you on progress as work proceeds
- Give you a clear bill which shows the work done and the amount charged
- Treat all clients fairly, and not discriminate against anyone; because of his or her race, sex, sexual orientation (sexuality) or disability
- Keep what you tell them confidential, and refuse to act for anyone else if doing so could compromise that confidentiality
- This is a summary of the main rules and principles that apply to all solicitors.
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| What to do if you have a complaint |
| Most people have a good experience with their solicitor, but things do sometimes go wrong. That is why there is a clear and effective complaints procedure in place. |
| Every solicitor's firm has to have their own complaints procedure, and you should use this procedure first before going elsewhere. |
| If this does not provide a satisfactory resolution, you should complain to the Consumer Complaints Service, Victoria Court, No 8 Dormer Place, Leamington Spa, CV32 5AE. Phone: 0845 608 6565. |
| After this, if you are still not satisfied, you can take your complaint to the Office of the Legal Services Ombudsman, 3rdFloor, Sunlight House, Quay Street, Manchester M3 3JZ. Phone: 0161 839 7262. Email: lso@olso.gsi.gov.uk |
| For a list of solicitors in your area and lots of other information on legal issues, visit the Law Society's web site at :www.lawsocietv .org.uk |
You can find details of the rules which apply to solicitors, including the circumstances when your solicitor may not be able to meet all the terms of the Charter, at www.guide-on-line.lawsocietv.org.uk |
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| PLEASE NOTE: |
| Other legal and professional duties may occasionally affect the ability of your solicitor to meet all these standards. For example, the legal duty to release information about money laundering of the solicitor's duty to the court can override the duty of confidentiality or the duty to put your interest first. |
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