COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE

1.         Any complaint received in chambers whether made to the clerks, to a barrister or to the Head of Chambers will be entered upon a Corrective Action Request, a copy of which will be given to the Senior Clerk together with copies of all significant correspondence, etc.

2.         A complaint may be written or verbal and may be made to a member of chambers or staff.

3.                  Any complaint which involves a potential claim of negligence will be advised to the appropriate insurers as soon as practicable. Complaints that indicate that serious professional misconduct may have occurred will be notified to the Head of Chambers as soon as this becomes apparent.

4.                  All complaints will be acknowledged, preferably in writing, within 24 hours of receipt.

5.                  The complainant will also be advised when a full reply will follow, which should usually be within 28 days.

6.                  A complaint about a barrister will be handled in the first instance by the barrister concerned and/or the Senior Clerk with the intention of achieving an informal resolution. If it cannot be satisfactorily resolved informally, then it will be referred to the Head of Chambers.

7.                  A complaint about a member of staff will be handled by the Senior Clerk if it concerns a clerk, fees clerk or office junior or by the Administration Manager if it concerns any other member of staff. If it cannot be satisfactorily resolved informally, then it will be referred to the Management Committee.

8.                  If the complaint relates to the Senior Clerk or the Administration Manager, it will be handled throughout by the Head of Chambers.

9.                  In resolving each complaint, the issues are reviewed to assess the need for:

·          appropriate redress as a compensatory or goodwill measure for the complainant;

·          remedial action where the problem is not beyond correcting; and/or

·          investigation of the cause of the problem and recommendation of any improvements required to prevent its recurrence.

10.              Chambers need take no action if the complaint is found on investigation to be unjustified.

11.              If a complainant, having had the matter reviewed by the Head of Chambers, is still dissatisfied, s/he will be advised of her/his right to approach the Bar Standards Board’s Complaints Commissioner.

12.              All Corrective Action Requests and associated documentation will be kept by the Administration Manager with the Corrective Action Master Log. This material will be kept under regular review by the Administration Manager, who will report the number and type of complaints and their outcomes to the Management Committee every month and to chambers at its annual general meeting together in each case with confirmation of the introduction of any procedural changes identified as having been necessary or with suggestions for future changes.