Regulation and Compliance
We pride ourselves on always acting for you in a professional way, and with integrity and openness.
Similarly, our compliance obligations are taken seriously as well, this page tells you about who we are, who regulates us along with our key risk, compliance, and regulatory information.
SRA Code of Conduct
In this section you can find all of our SRA details as we are an English law firm and are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. Our SRA number is 532921
To view the professional and ethical standards which govern English law firms please go to the Solicitors Regulation Authority website:
Key Information
Chilcotts Law Ltd
Company Registration No (England and Wales): 07154620. Members of The Law Society Diversity and Inclusion Charter.
Registered office address: 10 Plymouth Road, tavistock, Devon, PL19 8AY.
Authorised and Regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority No: 00532921.
Insurance
We have the adequate personal indemnity insurance in place provided by an A rate insurance company, which is in compliance with the level of cover required by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Concerns and Complaints
We want to give you the best possible service. However, if at any point you become unhappy or concerned about the service we have provided, including our charges, or the way we have handled your personal data, then you should inform us immediately, so that we can do our best to resolve the problem.
In the first instance, it may be helpful to contact the person who is working on your case to discuss your concerns and we will do our best to resolve any issues at this stage. Alternatively you may contact David Wilde to discuss your concerns and he will do his best to resolve any issues. If, however, you would like to make a formal complaint, then you can read our full complaints procedure which sets out the steps that you will need to take. Making a complaint will not affect how we handle your case and you will not be charged for time spent handling your complaint.
What to do if we cannot resolve your complaint
The Legal Ombudsman may be able to help you if we are unable to resolve your complaint ourselves through our own rigorous complaint process. They will look at your complaint independently and accessing the Ombudsman will not affect how we handle your case. Most 'consumer' clients (as opposed to large businesses) will be able to make use of the Ombudsman scheme, however there are restrictions for some larger clients.
Before accepting a complaint for investigation, the Legal Ombudsman will normally check that you have tried to resolve your complaint with us first. The Legal Ombudsman expects complaints to be made to them within one year of the date of the act or omission about which you are concerned or within one year of you realising there was a concern. You must also refer your concerns to the Legal Ombudsman within six months of our final written response to your complaint.
If you would like more information about the Legal Ombudsman, please contact them:
Visit: www.legalombudsman.org.uk
Call: 0300 555 0333 between 9am and 5pm
Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
Legal Ombudsman PO Box 6167, Slough, SL1 0EH
Please note that the Ombudsman is there to deal with concerns about the level of service received. Where there are more serious concerns that a solicitor or solicitor’s firm have been involved in professional misconduct then reports can also be made to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), the regulator of solicitors and solicitor firms. This could be for quite unusual and serious acts of misconduct such as dishonesty, taking or losing your money or treating you unfairly because of your age, a disability or other characteristic. Obviously we do not anticipate any such problems arising and would ask that you notify the matter supervisor straight away if you have any such concerns.
You can find out more about the Solicitors Regulation Authority including their contact details and professional conduct rules on their website: Click on the 'Visit the Solicitors Regulation Authority Website' link below.
If your complaint relates to how your personal data has been used/ handled which we have not been able to address to your satisfaction under our complaints policy, you may be able to make a complaint to the Information Commission (IC) directly. You can learn more about the IC and personal data rights at: www.ico.org.uk and specifically about complaints in relation to the use of your personal data at: https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/data-protection-complaints/.
Price Transparency
The SRA Transparency Rules require all regulated law firms, to supply information on the prices they charge for those services.
Rest assured, our commitment to transparency is unwavering. We guarantee that you will always be fully informed about our fees. Your peace of mind is our priority, and we will never spring unexpected charges on you. Before we begin any work, we will provide you with a clear and comprehensive breakdown of our charges.
For pricing on other types of work not detailed in the section in green text, we can provide an estimate upon request.
Service Standards
Treating Clients Fairly Policy
At Chilcotts Law we are fully committed to providing the highest standards of advice and service to our clients by working in partnership with them.
Our clients are our most valuable asset and our aim is to ensure that we deliver a client-friendly, robust, reliable and cost-effective legal service to them.
Chilcotts Law has a strong reputation in the legal market and we strive to build long-standing, trusted relationships with all of our clients. We are authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority and our Treating Clients Fairly Policy is designed to ensure that we consistently deliver fair outcomes to our clients; in line with the SRA’s Code of Conduct.
We are committed to promoting equality and diversity in all our dealings with clients, third parties and employees.
Our Approach
Our priority is to provide our clients with an excellent service underpinned by the quality of our advice. We are committed to ensuring that our clients want to use our services, stay with us and recommend us to their families, friends and colleagues.
Our service is shaped by listening to our clients’ needs and understanding what is important to them. We take responsibility for meeting the needs of our clients and always look for way to improve the quality of our service. We operate a rigorous file review system as part of our internal audit procedures as well as regularly conducting client surveys to ensure that we consistently enhance the service levels for the client.
We recognise that our employees are critical to delivering a positive client experience and ensuring our clients are treated fairly. All of our employees are fully trained in dealing with our clients and in treating them fairly.
Our Services
In delivering our commitment to Treat Clients Fairly, Chilcotts Law makes every effort to ensure that our clients are totally satisfied with the legal service they receive and we endeavour to:
- make any and all possible accommodations for clients with individual needs so as that they are not at any disadvantage. For example, those clients who are not able to mount the steps into our office are offered [in advance] a meeting at their home. Our staff will happily attend a client’s home for which no extra charge is made
- ensure that clients are able to read any documents sent to them that require their understanding. We facilitate this by proactively providing large type documents for our clients with visual impairment
- communicate with our clients in a way that they will understand, by using ‘plain’ and not ‘legalese’ language
- update our clients regularly on the progress of their matter, especially with updates as to costs, ensuring they understand any potential outlays or fees that may arise
- provide our clients with a high quality legal service by offering highly experienced lawyers who are experts in their particular area of work
- work with our clients in an empathetic and personable way, particularly when the matter is emotionally delicate, such as when working on a probate with relatives of the recently deceased
- operate our Complaints Handling Procedure in an open and fair way, whereby clients are aware of their right to complain to either the firm or Legal Ombudsmen.
- ensure that a client or prospective client is treated in a non-discriminatory way that respects diversity.
- Be flexible in our approach, explore options and be open to new ideas
- Inspire and empower our clients for whom we act
- Provide practical solutions explained in straightforward language and ‘jargon free’
- passionate about what we do and the clients that we serve
- work continually as to how we can enhance and improve our services
- ensure timely responses and communication at every level in the organisation
- understand the importance of the client’s matter to them
- respect clients’ wishes and beliefs.
Risk and Compliance Official
- Anti Money Laundering Officer
- Anti Money Laundering Reporting Officer
- Accountants Reports Contact Person
- Authorised Signatory
- Authorised to Supervise
- Compliance Officer for Financial and Administration
- Compliance Officer for Legal Practice
- Designated Complaints Handler
- FCA Compliance Officer
- Training Contact
- Training Principal
- Senior Responsible Officer for the firms CQS accreditation