We are committed to providing a high-quality legal service.

We acknowledge that we may not always get it right so if something has gone wrong, including in relation to the bill, we need you to tell us.

How do I make a complaint?

• You can contact us in writing (by letter or email) or by telephone.

• In the first instance, it may be helpful to contact the person who is working on your case to discuss your concerns and we will do our best to resolve any issues. If you do not feel able to discuss your concerns with them, please contact the person responsible for overall supervision of your matter named in the Letter of Engagement.

• If you do not feel able to raise your concerns with either of these people, please contact our complaints partner whose contact details are: Judith Hewitson, Judith.Hewitson@tlt.com

• To help us to understand your complaint, and in order that we do not miss anything, please tell us:

  • your full name and contact details;

  • what you think we have got wrong;

  • how you would like your complaint to be resolved; and

  • your file reference number (if you have it).

If you require any help in making your complaint we will try to assist.

How will you deal with my complaint?

• We will record your complaint centrally.

• We will aim to write to you within three working days acknowledging your complaint, enclosing a copy of this policy. We will set out the timescales in which we will aim to provide you with a substantive response to your complaint.

• We will investigate your complaint. This will usually involve:

  • reviewing your complaint;

  • reviewing your file(s) and other relevant documents; and

  • speaking with the person who dealt with your matter.

• We may also need to ask you for further information or documents. If so, we will ask you to provide the information within a specific period of time.

• We will update you on the progress of your complaint at appropriate times.

• We may also, if appropriate, invite you to a meeting to discuss your complaint. You do not have to attend if you do not wish to or if you are unable to do so. We will be happy to discuss the matter with you on the telephone.

• We will write to you at the end of our investigation to tell you what we have done and what we propose to do to resolve your complaint. Where possible, we will aim to do this within 28 days of the date of our acknowledgement of your complaint.

What to do if we cannot resolve your complaint?

• If you are unhappy with the outcome of our complaints handling procedure, please first let us know and we will review the matter.

• If you are still unhappy, you may raise a complaint with the Legal Services Regulatory Authority (LSRA).They will look at your complaint independently and it will not affect how we handle your matter.

• Any complaint raised with the LSRA about legal services of inadequate standard or excessive costs must be made within three years. You can contact the LSRA at:

  Legal Services Regulatory Authority

  P O Box 12906

  Dublin 7

  Telephone: 01 859 2911 or 087 2199 100

  General queries email: Lsra-inbox@lsra.ie

  Complaints email: complaints@lsra.ie

  Information is also available on the LSRA website: http://www.lsra.ie

• As well as your right to complain about any of our bills under our complaints procedure, if your case was a non contentious matter (i.e. did not involve the issuing of court proceedings) then you have a statutory right to ask the person acting for you to apply to the Law Society of Northern Ireland for a Remuneration Certificate (provided your request is within one month from the issue of the bill of costs and provided the bill has not been paid). This Certificate will declare either, that what you are being charged is fair and reasonable or, that you should be charged a lesser amount. This service is offered free of charge. If you are dissatisfied with the Remuneration Certificate you can seek an Order for Taxation provided that the bill is still less than three months old.

• If you have concerns about our behaviour then you can also lodge a complaint with the LSRA. This could be for issues such as:

  • dishonesty; or

  • taking or losing your money; or

  • treating you unfairly because of your age, a disability or other characteristic.

What will it cost?

• We will not charge you for handling your complaint.

• Please note that if we have issued a bill for work done on the matter, and all or some of the bill is not paid, we may be entitled to charge interest on the amount outstanding. This is explained in our Terms of Business.

• The LSRA service is free of charge.