Our performance standards

Our aim is to maintain the highest standards of professional excellence whilst being accessible and user-friendly.

In particular we will always:

• deal promptly with all advisory work
• meet any deadline for work which has been agreed in advance with our clerks
• notify solicitors of the outcome of any hearing as soon as possible after it has happened
• where circumstances make it necessary, only return work after consultation with our instructing solicitor
• where appropriate, fully and promptly comply with any formality required by public or other funding bodies
• send a fee note within 7 days of the completion of an item of work
• investigate and report on any problem which may arise as quickly as possible and, in any event, within 14 days of the complaint being made to us.

Complaints Procedures

Our aim is to provide an excellent service at all times. However, if you have a complaint then please let us know as soon as possible.

Chambers has a Complaints Officer, Michael Lane, but in the first instance complaints should be directed to the Chief Clerk, Fraser McLaren (or, if it relates to the Chief Clerk, then directly to the Complaints Officer). This may be done by telephone or in writing in which case please be sure to provide the following details:

• your full name and address
• who you are complaining about
• the names of the parties to the case, and the date and place of hearing (if any)
• the detail of the complaint; and
• what you would like done about it.

If you wish, a complaints form can be downloaded here and on completion may be posted to : 

 

East Anglian Chambers, 53 North Hill, Colchester, Essex CO1 1QA

 

or forwarded by e-mail to the relevant person mentioned above.

Complaints directed to other members of Chambers will be referred internally to the Chief Clerk and/or Complaints Officer as appropriate.

Telephone complaints will be logged and every effort made to resolve them at the time. If that is not possible then you will be advised of what is to happen and the timescale for a response.

Written complaints will be acknowledged within 48  hours of receipt and you will at that time be advised of the action to be taken and the timescale for a response. All written complaints will also be logged. Serious complaints will always be acknowledged in writing but more minor matters may be dealt with by telephone response.

Depending on the nature of the written complaint it will in the first instance be investigated by either the Chief Clerk, in conjunction with the Complaints Officer or someone delegated by them and it will always be someone other that the person you are complaining about.  Once the investigation has been completed the person investigating the matter will write to you explaining how the matter has been investigated, the conclusions reached and, if your complaint is considered justified, then the proposals to resolve the complaint.

If you are not satisfied with the decision or where you have a complaint that may involve the Complaints Officer or a Centre Head then you may refer the matter to the Head of Chambers, Andrew Marsden, in writing at the Colchester address. The procedure then followed will be as above save that if the individual being complained about was the Complaints Officer he would not be involved in the investigation procedure and the Head of Chambers would if necessary delegate the investigation himself.

We hope that in the event of a complaint you will use our procedure but if you would rather not do so or, if having done so you are unhappy with the final outcome, you may refer the matter to the Bar Standards Board:

    Bar Standards Board
    Complaints Team
    289-293 High Holborn
    London WC1V 7HZ

    Tel:         0207 611 1445
    Fax:        0207 611 1342
    Website:  www.barstandardsboard.org.uk

A leaflet explaining the Bar Standards Board complaints procedure is available either from chambers or the Bar Standards Board.