Complaint Procedure

We are committed to providing a high-quality legal service to all our clients. If you are dissatisfied with any aspect of our service or charges, please tell us. We will treat your complaint seriously, investigate it fairly and aim to resolve it promptly and at no cost to you.

1. Complaints in the first instance.

If you are not happy with the service you have received, either from our UK or Gibraltar office, please raise this first with the member of staff concerned. Many issues can be resolved quickly this way.

2. Formal complaint

2.1 If you do not feel able to speak with the staff member with whom you having been dealing with, or you are not satisfied with their response, you should contact our Risk & Compliance Team, setting out full details of your concerns, or the issues you have:

AZJ Legal, Risk & Compliance
email: compliance@azj-legal.com

3. Internal Investigation

3.1 Within two working days of contacting us, you will be sent an acknowledgement, which will tell you who will be investigating your complaint. The person investigating your complaint will not be someone who has been involved in the matter

3.2 We will fully investigate your complaint and will aim to conclude our investigation within 28 days of our acknowledgement, or, by the date by which we have agreed with you if clarification of the issues of concern was needed.

3.3 Our investigation will include a review of your file in relation to the issues you have complained about and we may, if we think it appropriate, invite you to a meeting to discuss your concerns. At the end of our investigation, we will send you a detailed reply confirming the outcome of our investigation into your complaint.

3.4 If we are unable to conclude our investigation within 28 days, or by the date agreed, we will contact you to explain why, and we will give you a revised date by which we hope to provide our substantive response.

4. Who Can Complain?

Most complaints are likely to come from clients. However, beneficiaries, third parties, other professionals and suppliers may also complain to us, if they have received, been offered or been refused the benefit of a service.

We will arrange for your complaint to be investigated in accordance with the procedure set out below.

5. Will I Be Charged?

You will not be charged for the handling or investigation of your complaint. Our complaints process is provided to all clients free of charge and is designed to ensure that concerns are dealt with promptly, fairly, and transparently.

However, in the rare event that a complaint is found to be wholly unfounded, vexatious, or pursued in a manner that causes the firm to incur excessive or disproportionate time and cost, we reserve the right to issue a costs notice. Such notice would set out our intention to seek recovery of reasonable costs should it subsequently be demonstrated that the complaint was pursued unreasonably.

6. What Resolution Can I Expect?

If your complaint is upheld, we will seek to provide an appropriate remedy in line with our professional obligations and the limitations of liability set out in our engagement letter. This might include:

    • an apology;
    • compensation for loss suffered;
    • compensation for inconvenience, distress or both;
    • putting things right;
    • reducing the bill or limiting fees.

If we find that your compliant has no grounds, we will fully explain why we have come to this conclusion.
If you are not satisfied with our handling of your complaint, you can ask the applicable third party authority to investigate.

7. Legal Ombudsman – Route for service complaints in England & Wales

5.1 If you experience any difficulty using the site, or need information in a different format, please contact:

5.2 We will acknowledge your written request within fifteen working days and aim to provide a substantive response within twenty-five working days. If your needs are urgent, please tell us in writing and we will prioritise accordingly.

Legal Ombudsman,
PO Box 6167
Slough
SL1 0EH
or by email to:
enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk 
or call:+44 (0)300 555 0333
website: www.legalombudsman.org.uk 

The Solicitors Regulation Authority can also help you if you are concerned about our behaviour. This could be for things like dishonesty, taking or losing your money or treating you unfairly because of your age, a disability or other characteristic. You can raise your concerns with the Solicitors Regulation Authority. 

8. Legal Ombudsman – Route for service complaints in Gibraltar

6.1 Gibraltar does not have a legal ombudsman. However, you can raise any concerns you have above our service or behaviour directly to the Gibraltar Legal Services Regulatory Authority:

Legal Services Regulatory Authority
Suite 841 Europort
Gibraltar
GX11 1AA

tel: +350 222 50490
info@lsra.gi