1. Aim

1.1. Daniel Bennett seeks to give the best possible service to his clients. However, if at any point you become unhappy with the services that I have provided to you or you have concerns about your bill then you should inform me immediately so that I can do our best to resolve the problem for you. I have a procedure in place which details how I handle complaints. It is set out below.

2. Complaints made by Telephone

2.1. You may wish to make a complaint in writing and, if so, please follow the procedure in paragraph 3 below. However, if you would rather speak on the telephone about your complaint then please telephone Chambers' clerk on the telephone number above. The person you contact will make a note of the details of your complaint and what you would like done about it. He will discuss your concerns with you and aim to resolve them. If the matter is resolved he will record the outcome, check that you are satisfied with it and record that you are satisfied. You may also wish to record the outcome of the telephone discussion in writing.

2.2. If your complaint is not resolved on the telephone this will be acknowledged in writing and you will be invited to write to us about it within the next 14 days so it can be investigated formally.

3. Complaints made in Writing

3.1. Please give the following details:

• Your name and address;
• Which member(s) of Chambers you are complaining about;
• The detail of the complaint;
• What you would like done about it.

3.2. Please address your letter to the Chambers' clerk at No.1. Bell Yard, London, WC2A 2JR.

4. Procedure

4.1. Your letter will be acknowledged on receipt and within 14 days, the Chambers' clerk will investigate it. If your complaint is against the Chamber's clerk, it will be investigated by me. In any case, the person appointed will be someone other than the person you are complaining about.

4.2. The person appointed to investigate will write to you as soon as possible to let you know who has been appointed and that they will endeavour to reply to your complaint within 14 days. If he or she considers at the outset or finds later that they are not going to be able to reply within 14 days, a new date will be set for the reply and you will be informed of this. The reply will set out:

• The nature and scope of their investigation;
• The conclusion on each complaint and the basis for it;
• If he or she finds that you are justified in your complaint, the proposals for resolving the matter.

4.3. If your complaint includes a request that any outstanding fees should be remitted or reduced, all procedures for collecting such fees will be suspended until 14 days after you have received the reply to your complaint.

5. Confidentiality

All conversations and documents relating to the complaint will be treated as confidential and will be disclosed only to the extent that is necessary for the purpose of investigating the complaint or improving the administration of Chambers in the light of the complaint. Disclosure will be to the Chambers' clerk, any barrister chosen to investigate the complaint and the barrister member(s) or member(s) of staff of whom you have complained.

6. Written Records

We will make and file a written record of any complaint.

7. Legal Ombudsman

7.1. We have eight weeks to consider your complaint. If we are unable to help you, then you can have the complaint independently looked at by the Legal Ombudsman.

7.2. The Legal Ombudsman investigates problems about poor service from lawyers.

7.3. The Legal Ombudsman's time limits for investigating complaints are:

i. Within six months of receiving a final response to your complaint; and ii. Six years from the date of act/omission; or iii. Three years from when you should reasonably have known there was cause for complaint (if the act took place more than six years ago).

7.4. The act or omission, or when you should have reasonably known there was cause for complaint, must have been after 5 October 2010.

7.5. If you would like more information about the Legal Ombudsman, the contact details are as follows:

• www.legalombudsman.org.uk;
• Telephone 0300 555 0333 between 9 am to 5 pm, Mondays to Fridays;
• email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk ;
• By mail: Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton, WV1 9WJ.
• Please note: do not send original documents to the Legal Ombudsman. His office will scan any documents you send them to make computer copies and then destroy the originals.

7.6 Decision data on complaints to the Legal Ombudsman may be obtained independently at: https://www.legalombudsman.org.uk/raising-standards/data-anddecisions/#ombudsman-decision-data. This database shows those legal service providers which received an ombudsman's decision in the previous twelve months, and whether Legal Ombudsman required the provider to give the consumer a remedy.

I am regulated by the Bar Standards Board.

Last review: 6 September 2022