Complaints Procedure
A free, editable Word complaints procedure for solicitors in England & Wales, written to be published on your website and enclosed with your client care letter: how a client complains, what you will do and by when, the eight-week point, and the Legal Ombudsman with the time limits that have applied since April 2023.
What's inside
A complete, UK-drafted complaints procedure
- How to complain, to whom, and confirmation that a complaint costs nothing
- Acknowledgement and investigation timescales as fields you set, so you publish ones you can meet
- Who investigates, and what to do when the firm is too small to separate them from the complaint
- What your response will address, including saying plainly when something went wrong
- The eight-week point, and the Legal Ombudsman with current contact details and time limits
- Wording built so your final response satisfies the condition the six-month limit depends on
- Behaviour complaints routed to the SRA, and the separate position on bills
- Keeping a central record and using it, plus reasonable adjustments
How it works
- 1
Tell us where to send it
Enter your name, work email and organisation. We email you an editable Microsoft Word (.docx) file, personalised with your name.
- 2
Fill in the bracketed fields
Open it in Word, Google Docs or LibreOffice and complete every [bracketed] field with your details and commercial terms.
- 3
Review and adapt before use
Adapt the clauses to your circumstances and have it reviewed by a qualified solicitor before you sign or publish it.
This template is not legal advice. Writford is a software company, not a law firm, and is not regulated by the SRA. This document is a starting point that must be reviewed, adapted and approved by a qualified solicitor before use. It was last reviewed on 4 September 2026.
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What must a solicitor's complaints procedure include?
A firm must have a procedure, tell clients in writing at the outset that they can complain about service and charges and how, and where a complaint is unresolved after eight weeks tell them in writing about the Legal Ombudsman, with the time limits and full contact details.
- How long do we have to respond to a complaint?
- Eight weeks from receiving it. That is the point at which the client may take an unresolved complaint to the Legal Ombudsman, whether or not you have finished looking at it. Your own acknowledgement and investigation timescales sit inside that and are yours to set.
- Do we have to publish our complaints procedure?
- Firms are expected to make it available, including on the website, as well as referring to it in the client care letter. This template is written to be published as it stands once the bracketed fields are completed.
- What are the Legal Ombudsman time limits?
- Since 1 April 2023, one year from the act or omission or from realising there was a concern, and six months from the firm's final written response. The older six-year and three-year figures are out of date and still appear in many procedures.
- Does the six-month limit always apply?
- Only where your final response prominently states that the Ombudsman is available, gives full contact details, and warns that the complaint must be referred within six months. Leave any of that out and the complaint stays open for longer, which is why the wording belongs in your response letters and not only in the procedure.
- Who should investigate a complaint?
- Someone other than the person complained about. In a firm too small for that, say so openly and explain how you will keep the review fair, rather than leaving the client to notice.
- Can a client complain about our bill this way?
- Yes, about service and charges both. A client may also have a separate right to ask the court to assess a bill, which has its own strict time limits and is a different route from your procedure.