We hope to meet or exceed client expectations on every matter we undertake. If, however, you are dissatisfied and wish to complain about our services please click here to view our complaints procedure.
If you have a complaint
Initially, we would ask you to contact the person who is handling your matter so that we can try to put things right straightaway.
If you prefer, as an alternative you should contact the partner with responsibility for supervision of your matter or (if different) the partner with overall responsibility for the firm’s relationship with you. The contact details for these people will appear in your letter of engagement.
If you remain dissatisfied, please refer your complaint to the firm’s Complaints Officer, John Devoy by post to Aaron and Partners LLP at Grosvenor Court, Foregate Street, Chester, CH1 1HG or email at [email protected].
Work done by this firm (including consumer credit matters) is regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, except for work done as Insolvency Practitioners (J.L Chillery-Belcher is regulated as an insolvency practitioner in the UK by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales -the “ICAEW”) and as Notaries (DSM Edwards, CT Pointon and AD Lees are regulated as notaries in England & Wales by the Faculty Office of the Archbishop of Canterbury). The procedures for complaints about insolvency practitioner and notary matters vary as noted below and the Solicitors Regulation Authority is not involved with them.
Click here to visit the SRA website.
Our SRA number is: 401104
To view the SRA’s code of conduct, please click here.
Complaints about Insolvency Work
An insolvency practitioner (IP) has to comply with the law, standards set out in the Statements of Insolvency Practice, the Insolvency Code of Ethics and ICAEW’s insolvency licensing regulations. If you are concerned the IP may not have followed any of these standards, please contact our Complaints Officer using the information here. You can complain to the Insolvency Service via their online complaint form but we will try to resolve your complaint before you do so.
Your complaint should be made to the Insolvency Service’s Complaints Gateway by visiting their website at https://www.gov.uk/complain-about-insolvency-practitioner and completing and submitting the Insolvency Service’s online form. Alternatively you may email them at [email protected] or contact them by telephone on 0300 678 0015.
If you are challenging the decisions of an IP, there are procedures under insolvency legislation that you need to follow. The IP acts under statutory rights and powers; only the courts have the power to decide if the IP has exercised them properly. ICAEW cannot intervene in these matters; for example, retention of title.
Information about Notarial Work, Including Complaints
The main function of UK notaries is essentially to certify matters which they have observed or which are known to them. Our notaries have between them many decades of experience and expertise.
We do not advise on whether it is in your interests to sign any document, what the consequences of doing so may be, or whether the document will achieve the purpose you intend. If you need advice on such matters it is your responsibility to obtain it from whoever prepared the document and/or appropriate legal, tax or other experts.
It is your responsibility to inform the notary as soon as practicable of any specific requirements about execution, legalisation or other matters relevant to the documents. We can on request arrange for apostilles / document legalisation to be obtained.
Fee estimates are for the work done by us; VAT is added to these, as are outside costs (eg for obtaining apostilles and legalisation, or document delivery).
Contracts for notarial work are with Aaron & Partners LLP and are subject to the Aaron & Partners LLP Terms of Business which also govern the position of our individual notaries. All aspects of our notarial services are subject to the law of England and Wales and (subject to the matters set out below) the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.
Our Notarial work is regulated by:
The Faculty Office of the Archbishop of Canterbury
1 The Sanctuary, London SW1P 3JT
Tel: 020 7222 5381
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.facultyoffice.org.uk
If you are dissatisfied about the service you have received please tell our notary as soon as practicable.
If we are unable to resolve the matter you may then complain to the Notaries Society of which our notaries are members, who have a Complaints Procedure which is approved by the Faculty Office. This procedure is free to use and is designed to provide a quick resolution to any dispute.
In that case please write (but do not enclose any original documents) with full details of your complaint to:
The Secretary of The Notaries Society
23 Sandhill Road, Northampton NN5 5LH
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 01604 758908
If you have difficulty making a complaint in writing you may contact the Notaries Society or the Faculty Office for assistance.
Finally, even if you have your complaint considered under the Notaries Society Approved Complaints Procedure, you may at the end of that procedure, or after a period of 8 weeks from the date you first notified us that you were dissatisfied, make your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman, if you are not happy with the result:
The Legal Ombudsman
PO Box 6167, Slough SL1 0EH
Tel : 0300 555 0333
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.legalombudsman.org.uk
If you decide to make a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman you must refer your matter to the Legal Ombudsman within one year from the act/omission or within one year from when you should reasonably have known there was cause for complaint.
If you are a consumer and still dissatisfied then we will be willing to engage in mediation of the dispute and will on request propose a mediator.
The firms VAT number is: GB 294 792 406
