Feedback

Hardwicke is a professionally run and open organisation. We welcome the opportunity to know what our clients think so that we can improve our services, recognise and reward staff, provide additional training if necessary, and help to develop members’ practices.  Your views on our service are important to us. We will take seriously any comments made, and identify matters we can improve.

You are encouraged to contact our Chief Executive, Ann Buxton or our Practice Director Amanda Illing, if you would like to convey feedback about our members, staff, or levels of service.

We recognise that you may feel that you want to make a complaint about the advice you have been given, or the service you have received.  As a professional service organisation, we take every complaint extremely seriously. We would hope that any complaint can be resolved amicably and informally in the first instance.

If, however, you consider that your concerns have not been resolved informally, our Complaints Policy is set out as follows:

Our Policy

It is the duty of every member of chambers and every member of staff to inform the chief executive of any complaint made about them.

We recognise that it is important that all complaints are dealt with promptly, courteously and in a manner which addresses the issues raised in accordance with our procedures.

The Complaints process

Please make your complaint by letter or email to the chief executive who will have the initial responsibility for handling your complaint. If your complaint is about the chief executive herself and you feel uncomfortable about addressing it directly to her in the first instance then please send it by letter or email to the head of chambers. Their contact details are given below.

Once your formal complaint has been received the chief executive or head of chambers will, if you ask, explain to you how it will be handled.

We try to keep this process flexible to take account of different circumstances. In principle, it will work as follows:

The chief executive will handle complaints about staff other than herself, and all other complaints will be handled by a senior member of chambers as complaints officer.

The chief executive or complaints officer will notify you as soon as possible and in any event within 14 days of receiving the complaint that it is under investigation. They will set a date by which you will be contacted again.

Any complaint which appears to involve a claim for money or professional negligence against a barrister will be brought to the attention of the barrister’s professional indemnity insurers as soon as possible.

They will carry out the necessary investigations and give everyone involved the opportunity to comment on the complaint and provide all relevant information.

The chief executive or complaints officer will in due course inform you of the result of the investigation by explaining either:

• that the complaint has been found not to be justified, explaining why; or
• that the complaint has been found to be justified and either explain what remedial action is proposed, including any form of compensation, or refer the matter to the head of chambers for final resolution. The complainant will be reminded of the right to refer the matter to the Bar Standards Board.

We aim to deal with any complaint within 28 days of receipt. If we are unable to meet this time scale we will let you know.

Records and reporting

The chief executive will maintain a record of every complaint detailing:

• the name and address of the complainant (be it an individual or a firm or company)
• the nature of the complaint
• the barrister or member of staff concerned
• the steps taken to resolve the complaint
• communications with the complainant

Complaints are reported quarterly to the management committee of chambers with a recommendation, where appropriate, for changes to policies or procedures. The management committee will decide and implement any necessary changes in policies or procedures or take other appropriate steps to reduce the possibility of a similar complaint arising again.

Contact Details

Chief Executive

ann.buxton@hardwicke.co.uk
+44 20 7691 0296

Practice Director

amanda.illing@hardwicke.co.uk
+44 20 7691 0014

Head of Chambers

Nigel Jones QC 

nigel.jones@hardwicke.co.uk

Hardwicke
Hardwicke Building
New Square
London WC2A 3SB    

Bar Standards Board
289-293 High Holborn
London
WC1V 7HZ
DX: 240 LDE
Tel: 020 7611 1444
Fax: 020 7831 9217