NORTHAMPTONSHIRE LAW SOCIETY (NLS) COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE

1.         Complainants to the NLS (whether directly or via a third party such as their local MP) against a solicitor practising in Northamptonshire will initially be informed of the Law Society’s Practice Rule 15 procedure and referred back to the law firm concerned, unless that procedure has already been exhausted.

2.         The NLS Scheme is an informal conciliation process designed to provide mutual satisfaction to solicitors and their clients locally and more quickly than the delays inevitably involved in the national consumer complaints service.  As such, the NLS has no power to impose sanctions and cannot deal with complaints that have already been referred to the independent national Consumer Complaints Service about solicitors unless that Service requests it to do so.

3.         Where complainants have exhausted the Rule 15 procedure and the complaint regards a firm within the NLS area, NLS will obtain details of the complaint.  Complainants will be advised that NLS is not the regulatory body but is an independent body using conciliation procedures to assist complainants.

4.         NLS will pass these details to a NLS complaints handler.  (Complaints officers will be made up of current NLS officers, and other volunteer Past Presidents and members).  Checks will be made for conflicts of interest so that complainants know that the complaints handler has no personal or financial interest in the outcome.

5.         The complaints handler will contact the complainant and the law firm concerned and determine what further information, if any, is required and whether the complaint is capable of resolution by NLS conciliation procedures.  If the complaint is not suitable for NLS conciliation, the complainant will be advised to refer it to the independent national Consumer Complaints Service about solicitors.

6.         If it is suitable for NLS conciliation the complaints handler:-

-           will at the earliest opportunity and within 7 days contact the senior partner of the firm advising him that a complaint has been received and discuss what steps the firm intend to take and to resolve the matter.
-           when appropriate will offer to conciliate between the firm and the complainant.
-           will take whatever steps he feels reasonably appropriate to help resolve the matter.
-           will have discretion to advise the complainant to refer the matter to the independent national Consumer Complaints Service about solicitors, at any time.

7.         The NLS Administrator will monitor the progress of each complaint with the relevant NLS complaints handler at month end, and at the middle of the month.

8.         If a complaint has not been resolved after 8 weeks since the since the relevant NLS complaints handler received notice of the complaint, the complainant will be reminded of his or her entitlement to refer the matter to the independent national Consumer Complaints Service about solicitors.