Complaints procedure

We aim to deliver to a high standard when we engage with our members and others who interact with our work. We welcome feedback on what we are doing well.

If you feel that we have not met this standard on any particular occasion, this page sets out when and how we will try to resolve complaints.

We will publish summary statistics on the handling of complaints in our annual report.

What you can expect from us

When dealing with your complaint we will treat you fairly, with consideration, and in accordance with our equality, diversity and inclusion principles. Equally, we expect that our staff will be treated with respect.

We will consider accessibility requests made when submitting a complaint.

Information that you give us will be treated sensitively. Any personal data will be processed in accordance with our privacy policy.

Exclusions from the complaints procedure

Our complaints procedure is limited to our members and people who have used our services.

There are some issues we can’t deal with as complaints:

• if you wish to make a complaint about a solicitor or a firm of solicitors, refer to our complain about a solicitor guidance
• if you need advice on a legal issue, use our resources for the public
• if you are appealing against a Law Society Learning exam or a Law Society accreditation result, there are separate appeal processes that apply to these decisions. For additional information about the relevant appeal policies, visit our page on individual accreditations

We do not investigate complaints about:

• internal processes or decisions made within the Law Society’s governance structure
• policy positions or operational decisions taken by the Society

To give us feedback on these aspects of our work, complete our online contact form.

We will decline to deal with complaints that have already been considered previously.

For all other complaints, the following process will apply.

How to make a complaint

If you have already engaged with a Law Society staff member about your issue, the first step is to contact them and explain the details of your concerns or complaint.

This will ensure that your complaint is considered by the correct team as quickly as possible.

If you do not know the relevant team to contact, please complete our complaints form.

Our Support Centre will direct your complaint to the correct person.

How we’ll respond to your complaint

We will acknowledge your complaint within five working days of receipt.

We will provide a response from the relevant manager within 20 working days of the acknowledgement.

Some complaints may take longer to process. We will keep you informed of progress and provide reasons for any delay.

We aim to resolve complaints as quickly as possible. If you are not happy with our response you can ask for it to be reviewed. To request a review, please contact the manager who replied to you and provide the reasons for your request.

We will only conduct a review if sufficient reasons are provided. For example, if there are new facts that were not considered during the first stage, or factors which suggest the response was not reasonable.

We may also decline your review request if:

• we consider that we have taken your complaint as far as possible, or
• a different outcome is unlikely based on the information you have provided

If a review is required, it will be carried out by someone who was not involved in the handling of your complaint at the first stage.

We will acknowledge the review and respond using the same timescales as above. As with the first stage, we will tell you if additional time is required.