Complaints about the outcome of any particular case will generally not form the basis for a complaint. Your barrister will be able to advise you as to whether there may be grounds to appeal a particular decision.
If however, you have a complaint about the conduct of your barrister or the way in which they conducted your case, please put your complaint in writing to the individual barrister concerned. A barrister is required to deal with all complaints courteously, promptly and in a manner that addresses the issues raised by the complaint. If you feel that writing to the individual would be inappropriate given the nature of the complaint, then please address your complaint to:
The Management CommitteeIf you complain to the relevant barrister direct and are not happy with the response, chambers management committee will be asked to consider the same. The time scale for receiving a complaint is 14 days from the date of any hearing/supply of services.
The nature and speed of any response will depend upon the precise circumstances. For example, if your complaint is that the barrister has been negligent, he or she is required to inform his or her insurers and those insurers may need to be consulted about the response.
If you are not satisfied with the way in which Chambers considered your complaint, you may contact the Legal Ombudsman to investigate how it was handled. The Ombudsman is not a lawyer. If the Ombudsman thinks that the complaint was not investigated properly, he can recommend that the complaint be reconsidered or that the barrister pay compensation. The Ombudsman’s address is:
The Legal OmbudsmanDecision data page on the Legal Ombudsman website
If you are unhappy with the response or not satisfied with the way in which your complaint was considered by the Legal Ombudsman then you may contact The Bar Standards Board (BSB), the regulator for barristers. They investigate complaints against barristers and take action against those who break the rules of the code of conduct. They do this in the interests of the public and to maintain the good name and standards of the profession. There is no charge for making a complaint to them. The Bar Standards Board can be contacted at:
Complaints and Investigations Department