Schwartz & Watkins - Compliants

Schwartz & Watkins LLP Complaints Procedure

This procedure covers complaints from professional and lay clients, and is applicable to any complaint, grievance or dispute raised against members and/or staff of Schwartz & Watkins LLP.

Overview

Overview Schwartz & Watkins LLP is committed to providing a quality assured service at all times. However, should you have a complaint, you are invited to communicate with us as soon as possible. We are dedicated to fully investigating and resolving, where possible, all complaints promptly and with its customers' needs at the foremost.

Complaints by telephone

For complaints in writing please follow the guidelines listed in the section below. However, if you would prefer to speak on the telephone about your complaint, please follow these guidelines:

- Please telephone the Barrister concerned, or one of the Heads of Chambers (Barrister Jane F. Page or Barrister Joy W. Pinkham), if you prefer.
- Please telephone the Senior Clerk (Barrister Andrew S. Davies) if the complaint relates to another member or staff or telephone one of the Heads of Chamber (as above) if the complaint relates to the Senior Clerk.
-The person you contact will fully record the details of your complaint, and the action you would like done about it. He/she will discuss your concerns with you and aim to resolve them immediately.
-If the matter is resolve, he/she will record the outcome, confirm you are satisfied with the outcome and record such. You may also wish to record the outcome of the telephone discussions in writing.
-If the complaint cannot be resolved at this stage, you will be invited to write to Chambers within 7 days so the matter can be investigated formally.

Confidentiality

All discussions and documents relating to any complaint will be treated as confidential. Disclosure will only be made to the Management Committee and to anyone involved in the complaint and its investigation, including the person being complained about. As part of the Schwartz & Watkins LLP' commitment to client care, full written records of any complaint will be made and reviewed afterwards by the Management Committee with a view to improving service.

Complaints made in writing

Please address written communication to the Management Committee, Schwartz & Watkins LLP, 825, Third Ave, New York, NY 10022, United States. The complaint should include:

-your name and address
- which member(s) of chambers or staff you have a complaint about
-the details of your complaint
-the action you would like to see taken
-The mention Committee is headed by the two Heads of Chambers Barrister Jane F. Page and Barrister Joy W. Pinkham, and also includes a further experienced member of Chambers, and the Senior Clerk.

Your complaint will be immediately acknowledged in writing, confirming that within 24 hours the committee will appoint a member of the panel to investigate the matter. The person appointed will in every case, be someone other than the person you are complaining about. He/she will, once appointed, write to you confirming:

-he/she will investigate and replay to your complaint within 14 days (or set a new date, if he/she will be unable to respond in this timescale).
- the nature and scope of his/her investigation
-the conclusion made and the basis for that conclusion
-if found justified, his/her proposals for resolving the complaint

Complaints to the Legal Ombudsman and The Bar Standards Board

Schwartz & Watkins LLP will aim to investigate and resolve complaints to the satisfaction of all parties. If however, you would prefer not to use the above procedures, or are unhappy with the outcome, you do have the choice of taking up your complaint with the Legal Ombudsman (in relation to service and you are a client), or The Bar Standards Board (in relation to conduct of barristers, and you are a client or professional affected by a barrister's conduct).

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