Updated 28th April 2023

Complaints and Feedback

Updated 22nd April 2026

Complaints and Feedback

At Berwins we do all we can to deliver the highest levels of service to our clients, but things don’t always go right, or appear not to have gone right; and in order to deal with those instances we have put in place the procedure set out in this information sheet to help address these issues.

What is a complaint?

A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction referred by you, the client, or an appropriate third party, the person dealing with your matter, their Team Leader or the firm’s Complaints Officer. 

In the first instance please discuss your concerns with the person dealing with your matter.  Often, they will be able to resolve any issues or misunderstanding straight away. If you do not feel able to discuss your concerns with them, please contact their Team Leader, who will be named in your Welcome Letter sent to you at the beginning of your matter.

If you do not feel able to raise your concerns with either the case handler or their Team Leader, or if you have, and you are still not satisfied with the response, you can refer the matter to the firm’s Complaints Officer.

Who deals with complaints?

The firm’s Complaints Officer is Catherine Prosser. However, in cases of complaints regarding her conduct of matters, those complaints will be handled by Danielle Day. Contact details are as follows:

  • Catherine Prosser – t: 07542 852034 e: catherineprosser@berwins.co.uk
  • Address – 2 North Park Road Harrogate HG1 5PA
  • Danielle Day – t: 07921 451859 e: danielleday@berwins.co.uk
  • Address – 2 North Park Road Harrogate HG1 5PA

 

How are complaints handled?

On receipt of a formal complaint which requires review by the Complaints Officer, the following steps will be taken:

(1) Receipt of the complaint will be acknowledged by the Complaints Officer within 5 working days of your complaint and you will receive a copy of the firms Complaints Procedure. The Complaints Officer will consider the case handlers file in question and will also seek any comments they might have.  They will also check that the Team Leader has had opportunity to review and rectify your complaint. 

(2) You will receive a copy of our Complaints Procedure.  If possible a substantive response will be given immediately. If a substantive response cannot be provided immediately then you should expect to receive a substantive response within 8 weeks of your complaint being made. 

 

(3) Should we find your complaint is substantiated either in part or in full, then examples of remedial action could include a reduction of your bill,  an offer of compensation, an offer to change the person handling the file, or an acknowledgement and apology. 

You will not be charged for any time spent by us reviewing your complaint, nor will it affect how we handle your case.

(4) In the event that you are dissatisfied with the outcome of your complaint or if we have not provided you with a substantive response within 8 weeks of your complaint being lodged, you have the right to refer the matter to the Legal Ombudsman. 

If we cannot resolve your complaint, you can speak directly to the Legal Ombudsman, provided that one of the following categories applies:

  • an individual.
  • a business or enterprise that was a micro-enterprise (European Union definition) when it referred the complaint to the authorised person.
  • a charity that had an annual income net of tax of less than £1 million when it referred the complaint to the authorised person.
  • a club/association/organisation, the affairs of which are managed by its members/a committee/a committee of its members, that had an annual income net of tax of less than £1 million when it referred the complaint to the authorised person.
  • a trustee of a trust that had an asset value of less than £1million when it referred the complaint to the authorised person.
  • a personal representative or beneficiary of the estate of a person who, before he/she died, had not referred the complaint to the Legal Ombudsman.

They will look at your complaint independently and again this will not affect how we handle your case. The Legal Ombudsman service is free of charge and they investigate complaints about the service you have received from us.

Before accepting a complaint for investigation, the Legal Ombudsman will check that you have tried to resolve your complaint with us first. 

The Legal Ombudsman expects complaints to be made to them within one year of the date of the act or omission about which you are concerned or within one year of you realising there was a concern. You must also refer your concerns to the Legal Ombudsman within six months of our final response to you.

The Legal Ombudsman can be contacted at:

Legal Ombudsman
PO Box 6167
Slough
SL1 0EH
Enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk 
www.legalombudsman.org.uk 
Tel 0300 5550333

For complaints that relate specifically to an alleged breach of the SRA Standards and Regulations, including the SRA Accounts Rules, you should refer the matter to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). This could be for things like general misconduct, losing your money or treating you unfairly because of your age, a disability or other characteristic.  The SRA will not investigate complaints about services provided by the Firm. They will refer such matters to the Legal Ombudsman.  Their details are: –