Our aim is to provide our clients with the service expected. If, however, you have concerns and wish to make a complaint, you are encouraged to discuss this directly with the member of VCC concerned as soon as possible, so that matters may be resolved. The barristers and staffing teams providing the Public Access services are subject to the complaints handling procedures of chambers.

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Complaints made by Telephone

If you have a complaint about someone in chambers and you would rather make it by telephone then please call the Public Access Barrister concerned or, if you prefer, our Head of Chambers, Linda Appiah on 020 3489 8769.
 

The procedure would be the same if you have a complaint about our staff or clerk.
 

The person you contact will make a note of the details of your complaint and what you would like done about it. He or she will discuss your concerns with you and aim to resolve them. If the matter is resolved, he or she 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 any such telephone discussion in writing for your own records.

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

 

Complaints made in Writing

If you wish to complain about a Public Access Barrister or member of staff in writing, please give the following details: your name and address, which Public Access barrister or member of staff you are complaining about; the details of the complaint; and how you would like the complaint to be resolved. Send your complaint to info@vinecourtchambers.co.uk or by post.
 

For complaints about a Public Access Barristers, please address your letter to our Head of Chambers.

Your letter will be acknowledged within 7 days of receipt and an investigation will take place. 

In acknowledging receipt of your letter, you will normally be informed that you should expect a substantive response to your complaint within 14 days. In exceptional circumstances, a longer period may be fixed or if the investigator of the complaint concludes more time will be needed, a new date for a substantive reply explaining why more time is needed. The substantive reply will set out –

• the nature and scope of the investigation;

• the conclusion on each complaint and the reason for it; and

• if your complaint is found to be partially or fully justified, proposals for resolving it.
   

Complaints which may give rise to an Insurance claim
If your complaint involves a matter which may give rise to an insurance claim, the barrister will be obliged to inform the Bar Mutual Indemnity Fund (the Bar’s insurer). The BMIF will then need to be consulted before any proposals can be put to you to resolve your complaint. This may constrain the speed with which we are able to respond to these circumstances.

 

Confidentiality

All discussions and documents relating to the complaint will be treated as confidential and will be disclosed only to the extent that is necessary. In all cases, in addition to the person complained about, the Head of Chambers will be aware of the complaint since they maintain a central written record of all complaint cases wherever they have arisen.

 

Our Policy

As part of our commitment to improving client care, the central written record of complaints is reviewed regularly and any points arising which indicate a need for us to adjust an existing practice or procedure are brought to the attention of chamber’s members.

 

Complaints to the Legal Ombudsman or to the Bar Standards Board
We hope that you will use our procedure and reach a satisfactory outcome. If, however, you are unhappy with the outcome, you have the option of taking your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman or to the Bar Standards Board.
 

The Legal Ombudsman has the responsibility for dealing with complaints from complainants about our service. The Ombudsman will expect us to try to address such complaints in the first instance but will step in to do so if this proves not to be possible. You can put your complaint to the Ombudsman at:

Tel: 0300 555 0333
Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
Address: Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 15870, Birmingham B30 9EB
Website: www.legalombudsman.org.uk
 

The Legal Ombudsman’s Decision Data (2018-19) is available online here.

If your complaint is about the professional conduct of one of our barristers, then it would be more appropriate to address your complaint to the Bar Standards Board (the regulatory body for barristers) by writing to them at –

Complaints Department

Bar Standards Board
289-293 High Holborn,
London WC1V 7HZ
Tel:  020 7611 1444
Fax: 020 7831 9217
www.barstandardsboard.org.uk

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