COOKIES POLICY
What is a cookie?
Cookies are text files containing small amounts of information which are downloaded to your device when you visit a website. Cookies are useful because they allow a website to recognize your device, preferences and can be used to improve your online experience. You can find more information about cookies at www.aboutcookies.org.
Types of cookies we use:
These cookies are used to ensure you can correctly navigate our websites and play videos, listen to podcasts or share pages via social media.
These cookies are used to analyze trends, administer the website, track visitor movements and gather broad demographic information for aggregate use. We use the information to compile reports and to help us improve our websites. These cookies are not linked to personally identifiable information.
The social media sharing functionality on certain web pages is provided by the third party AddThis. As you navigate these pages or if you use the sharing buttons, AddThis will automatically set cookies. We have no control over the cookies that AddThis uses. You can opt-out of addthis.com cookies at http://www.addthis.com/privacy/opt-out.
We sometimes advertise our products, services, and vacancies on third party websites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google, and Bing. To help us target our advertising we use cookies from those third parties on our websites to tell us which pages you clicked on and interacted with. Each third party uses its own tracking cookies. If you don’t want to be shown targeted advertising, some third party sites allow you to request not to see messages from specific advertisers. These third-party cookies are not under our control so you should check the websites and cookie policies of any third parties.
If you register to receive updates by email, you will receive emails that will contain a web beacon. This will take the form of a small, transparent image, which is embedded in each email. It will be used to send information such as your IP address, when each email was viewed, from what device and which geo-location. We use information about email usage to compile reports and to help us improve our communications. Our websites may also collect your IP address which is routinely stored as part of web server log files for 14 days.
All recent versions of popular browsers give you a level of control over cookies. You can set your browser to accept or reject all, or certain, cookies. For instructions on how to manage cookies, please read the ‘Help’ section of your browser or visit our guide at www.aboutcookies.org.
Please be aware that some areas of our website may not function after you have changed your cookie settings.
On your first visit to this website, you will have seen a pop-up to inform you about the purposes for which cookies are being used and the means to opt-out. If you have provided your cookie consent at that point, the box below will be ticked. You may withdraw your cookie consent at any time by de-selecting the box below. Please be aware that some areas of our website may not function after you have changed your cookie settings
COMPLAINTS POLICY
If you are a client of this firm and are dissatisfied with any aspect of the service provided, including our invoice, you are entitled to complain.
Our policy is to look at client complaints objectively and take a constructive approach to reach a satisfactory conclusion. We recognize that complaints may provide us with an opportunity to check the quality of our service and to make improvements to it in a particular case or more generally. Indeed, even if you do not have a complaint, your suggestions as to how our services might be improved will be welcome.
You can make a complaint to the case handler who is responsible for the matter concerned or, if this is not appropriate or the complaint is in relation to more general matters, to your client partner. A complaint will be acknowledged within three working days. Your case or transaction will not be prejudiced by you raising concerns either. We hope you will not have any reason to complain, but in case you do, you should follow the procedure and steps below.
We very much hope that a complaint will not arise however if you feel you have cause for complaint, in the first instance, please contact the solicitor dealing with your matter, who will do their best to resolve your concerns. If you do not feel able to discuss your concerns with the solicitor with day to day conduct of your matter, please contact the person responsible for the overall supervision of your matter, who will be named in the client care letter we sent you at the beginning of your matter.
You may progress your complaint to our Compliance Officer for Legal Practice and Managing Director Majid Malik, If you feel that it is too delicate for you to raise this directly with them, or they have not addressed all your concerns to your satisfaction, you should raise your concerns with their manager. Their manager’s name will be mentioned in our engagement letter to you, sent at the beginning of your case or transaction. Alternatively, you may simply ask your lawyer for their manager’s name or just ring us to request that information.
If neither your lawyer nor their manager can resolve your concerns to your satisfaction, your complaint will reach the second stage.
To help us to understand your complaint, and in order that we do not miss anything, please tell us:
your full name and contact details;
where you think we have gone wrong including any related and relevant attachments;
the issues that matter the most to you; and
how you would like your complaint to be resolved.
After we have received your complaint:
We will acknowledge your complaints within 5 working days and enclose a copy of this policy. You may be asked to confirm or explain the detail of your complaint. We will also let you know who will be dealing with your complaint.
Within three weeks, we will also acknowledge your reply and confirm what will happen next. We will then start to investigate your complaint.
We may also need to ask you for further information or documents. If so, we will ask you to provide the information within a specific period of time.
We will investigate your complaint. This will usually involve:
reviewing your complaint based on the evidence that you have supplied; speaking to you to better understand your complaint and what is important to you
reviewing your file(s) and other relevant documents; and
liaising with the solicitor with day to day conduct of your matter as well as other relevant staff members including the supervising partner,
We will try to keep you updated on the progress of your complaint at appropriate times wherever possible.]
We will send you the result of our investigation by email or post. We may also offer to meet with you to discuss your complaint and resolve it.
You will receive a full final written response to your complaint within six to eight weeks.
If we agree with you and we find the service you received was not as we would have liked it to be, we will work with you to try to find a way to resolve your complaint.
If we find that your complaint does not support a finding of poor service we will let you know the reasons why. We will let you know what to do if you are unhappy with our decision: we will tell you whether we agree to use Alternative Dispute Resolution, or whether your complaint can proceed to Stage 3.
Before you use Stage 3, we always suggest using the last opportunity to refer your dissatisfaction or complaint to be dealt with directly by Majid Malik (mymalik@mymsolicitors.co.uk or 01753 208 786 or write to our office address), who will look at the matter afresh and will carry out any further investigations as may be necessary. Usually, within 7 days of the complaint being referred to him, he will inform you of his conclusions and any proposals to resolve the complaint.
If it remains unresolved, you have a right to refer your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman.
The Legal Ombudsman can help you if we are unable to resolve your complaint ourselves. They will look at your complaint independently and it will not affect how we handle your case.
Before accepting a complaint for investigation, the Legal Ombudsman will check that you have tried to resolve your complaint with us first. If you have, then you must take your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman:
Within six months of receiving a final response to your complaint; and
No more than six years from the date of act/omission; or
No more than three years from when you should reasonably have known there was cause for complaint.
If you would like more information about the Legal Ombudsman, please contact them.
Contact details
Visit: www.legalombudsman.org.uk
Call: 0300 555 0333 between 9.00 to 17.00.
Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
Legal Ombudsman PO Box 6167, Slough, SL1 0EH
What to do if you are unhappy
with our behaviour
What to do if you are unhappy with our behaviour
The Solicitors Regulation Authority can help if you are concerned about our behaviour. This could be for things like dishonesty, taking or losing your money or treating you unfairly because of your age, a disability or other characteristic.
Visit their website to see how you can raise your concerns with the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
MONEY LAUNDERING POLICY
The combined effect of this legislation is to provide a stringent and comprehensive system of client identification procedures, record keeping, and mandatory reporting.
When first taking your instructions, we are required to identify both our client and (if relevant) the ultimate beneficial owner of our client, and to verify that identity in a number of ways. We may need your assistance to satisfy these requirements. Without compliance with these obligations, we will not be able to act for you.
To ensure compliance with the law and to ensure we know and fully understand the identity and structures of our clients we have robust anti-money laundering policies and procedures in place.
We conduct due diligence enquiries on all new clients to establish and verify our clients’ identity and the identity of any beneficial owners. We may also undertake such enquiries on anyone instructing us on behalf of, but who may not be our clients. We cannot act if sufficient information is not provided.
We generally require to see original documentation. We use third-party providers who search external electronic databases as part of this diligence process. We also undertake risk assessments for all new matters for existing clients.
We undertake on-going monitoring of all existing clients (which may require you to provide us with updated proof of identity documentation).
We are required to know the source of funds involved in the transactions we are undertaking. We will also have to enquire about the source of your wealth. We accept no responsibility for any transactions being delayed while this information is awaited.
We must report to the National Crime Agency and other relevant authorities any suspicion or knowledge regarding money laundering or the proceeds of crime. We are not permitted to notify you of the fact that such reports have been made.
Our duties to report to the National Crime Agency may take priority over any duty to keep your information and the detail of your transactions confidential.