GZM | Legal Consultancy is committed to providing a high-quality legal service to all our clients irrespective of the scale of their matter. When something goes wrong, we need to address the problem and your concerns. We are very good listeners and can take an objective approach to any feedback and complaints that you might have. We will make sure that you will be informed about the reason underlying your unsatisfaction and will show our best endavours to remedy the situation.
In the first instance it may be helpful to contact the member(s) of the firm acting for you. Naturally, they will do their best to resolve any issues.

If you wish to make a formal complaint, then you may do so in accordance with our Complaints Policy. Making a complaint will not affect our instructions and the services we provide to you, though it may cause a conflict. This is explained in our Complaints Policy.

The solicitors of this law firm are individually regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. If your concern relates to compliance with our professional rules (for example, regarding matters of honesty, protecting any money we hold for you or treating you unfairly because of your age, a disability or another characteristic), then you can still ask us to address this directly or through our Complaints Policy. In the alternative, you are entitled to raise your concerns with the Solicitors Regulation Authority directly. You can click here for the contact details of the Solicitors Regulation Authority.

We will deal with your complaint in accordance with our Complaints Policy. Usually this will involve seeking to resolve the matter with you commercially or our investigating your complaint and our issuing you with our findings in the form of a complaint determination letter. Our complaint determination letter will contain the results of our investigation and explain what further steps you can take. If we do not do this, or if we do but not to your satisfaction, then subject to scheme rules, you may approach the Legal Ombudsman within six months of receiving our complaint determination letter, or if we fail to respond to you, within eight weeks of our receipt of your complaint. Click here for details of our Complaints Policy, which includes details as to how and when you can complain to the Legal Ombudsman.

Before accepting a complaint for investigation, the Legal Ombudsman will check that you are eligible to make use of its services, that you have tried to resolve your complaint with us first and that it is able to make a determination on the matter about which you are complaining.

This policy sets out how we deal with formal complaints. If you feel your concerns might be better addressed by speaking with the members of the firm acting for you, then you should contact them first. You can make use of this policy at any time and should you do so, it will not affect our instructions and the services we provide to you, though it may in some instances create a conflict of interest (as explained below).

Complaints may concern anything we have done or failed to do. This ranges from our advice, whether on matters of law or in connection to the quality of service we provide and what we have charged.

Once you have made a complaint, we will respond in the manner set out in this Complaints Policy.

As a law firm of regulated solicitors, we must comply with our professional rules. These require us not to act where we may find ourselves in a position of a conflict of interest. A conflict of interest would arise in a situation where, on the one hand we have a duty to act in your best interests, and on the other hand our own interests (for example, in light of a complaint raised, it would require us to take a different approach).

This should in no way affect whether you choose to make a complaint. However, you should be aware that there are circumstances where, once you have made a complaint, we may no longer be able to act for you on the matter. In this case, we would let you know and discuss with you how best to proceed, bearing in mind our overriding duty to comply with our professional rules.

In the event that you are not satisfied with the firm’s response, or if we do not resolve your complaint within eight weeks of your contacting us, then the Legal Ombudsman may be able to consider your complaint. There are, however, restrictions to this service, as set out on the Ombudsman’s website (see below).

If you wish to contact the Legal Ombudsman, you should contact them within six months of the complaint. 

For further information, you can write to the Legal Ombudsman at PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton WV1 9WJ or at [email protected]. You can telephone them on 0300 555 0333.

You may also be able to object to our bill by applying to the court for an assessment under Part III of the Solicitors Act 1974. If you exercise this right, you could be prevented from making a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman. In addition, if you apply to the court for an assessment and if all or part of the bill remains unpaid at the end of that assessment, we are entitled to charge interest. There are strict time limits that apply to this process and you may wish to seek independent legal advice.

GZM Legal Consultancy Limited is a company incorporated in England and Wales under registration number 12899785 and having its registered office at 291 Green Lanes, London, N13 4XS.