Chambers Complaints Procedure

Complaints Policy

1. Our aim is to give you a good service at all times. However if an individual has a complaint they are invited to let us know as soon as possible.

Complaints Made by Telephone

2. You may wish to make a complaint in writing and, if so, please follow the procedure in paragraph 4. below. However, if you would rather speak on the telephone about your complaint then please telephone the individual nominated under the Chambers Complaints Procedure to deal with complaints - the Executive Clerk or (if the complaint is about a member of staff) the Senior Clerk. If the complaint is about the Senior Clerk, telephone the Head of Chambers - or other member of Chambers appointed by head. 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 the outcome and record that you are satisfied. You may also wish to record the outcome of the telephone discussion in writing.

3. If your complaint is not resolved on the telephone you will be invited to write
to us about it within the next 14 days so it can be investigated formally.

Complaints made in Writing

4. Please give the following details:

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

Please address your letter to the Executive Clerk, at Tooks Chambers 81 Farringdon Street London EC4A 4BL. We will, where possible, acknowledge receipt of your complaint within two days and provide you with details of how your complaint will be dealt with.

5. Our Chambers has a Policy Committee headed by the Chair and made up of experienced members of Chambers, which considers any written complaint. Within 14 days of your letter being received the head of the Policy Committee or his/her deputy in his/her absence will appoint a person to investigate it. If your complaint is against the head of the Policy Committee, the next most senior member of the Committee will investigate it. In any case, the person(s) appointed will be individuals other than the person you are complaining about.

6. The person(s) appointed to investigate will write to you as soon as possible to let you know that they have been appointed and that they will reply to your complaint within 14 days. If they find later that they are not going to be able to reply within 14 days they will set a new date for their reply and inform you. The reply will set out:

• The nature and scope of the investigation;
• The conclusion on each complaint and the basis for the conclusion; and
• If they find that you are justified in your complaint, the proposals for
resolving the complaint.

Time limits

7. Please note that the Legal Ombudsman, the independent complaints body for
service complaints about lawyers, has a twelve-month time limit from the date of the act or omission about which you are complaining within which to make your complaint. Chambers must therefore have regard to that timeframe when deciding whether they are able to investigate your complaint. Chambers will not deal with complaints that fall outside of the twelve month time limit.

Confidentiality

8. All conversations, documents, findings and reports arising from and relating to the complaint will be treated as confidential and will be disclosed only to the extent that is necessary. They may be disclosed only to the client, the person complained about, the Heads of Chambers, Senior Clerk, Executive Clerk, the Policy Committee, and any other individuals with whom enquiries need be made for the purpose of the investigation. Such people will include the barrister member or staff who you have complained about, the head or relevant senior member of the panel and the person who investigates the complaint. The Bar Standards Board is entitled to inspect the documents and seek information about the complaint when discharging its auditing and monitoring functions.

Our Policy

9. As part of our commitment to client care we make a written record of any complaint and retain all documents and correspondence generated by the complaint for a period of six years. Our Policy Committee inspects records regularly with a view to improving services.

Complaints to the Legal Ombudsman

10. If you are unhappy with the outcome of our investigation you may take up your complaint with the Legal Ombudsman, the independent complaints body for complaints about lawyers, at the conclusion of our consideration of your complaint. The Ombudsman is not able to consider your complaint until it has first been investigated by Chambers. Please note that the Legal Ombudsman has a twelve-month time limit from the date of the act or omission about which you are complaining within which to make your complaint. You can write to them at:

Legal Ombudsman
PO Box 15870,
Birmingham
B30 9EB

Telephone number: 0300 555 0333
Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk

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Tooks Chambers

Tooks Chambers is a large, modern and efficient set of barristers united in their commitment to access to justice and representation without fear or favour. Founded on 1st May 1984 at the height of the Miners' Strike, much of Tooks' early work was defending miners wrongly accused of riot and affray. Members' expertise now extends across criminal and civil specialist areas of law but with an emphasis on protecting the individual against the interests of the state.

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