Complaints Policy

We want to give you the best possible service. However, if at any point you become unhappy about the service that you receive, you should inform us immediately so that we can do our best to resolve the problem for you. 

Complaints Procedure  

In the first instance, you should please contact the Team Leader supervising your file, or their Head of Branch, and we will do our best to resolve any issues at this stage.    

If matters have not been resolved to your satisfaction, and/or you would like to raise a formal complaint, please contact our Legal Operations Manager and Legal Director, Nicole Whiston, by email at nicole.whiston@montpellier.legal or by letter to the Cheltenham office at The Brewery Quarter, Henrietta Street, Cheltenham GL50 4FA, to set out your complaint.  

You may also telephone the Cheltenham office on 01242 472200 if you are unable to set your complaint out in writing or need further assistance to make a complaint.   

Upon receipt, we will acknowledge your complaint within 7 days and provide a full response within 4 weeks. We will explain our findings in writing and where the complaint is upheld, may offer remedial action or redress.    

If you are dissatisfied with the handling of your complaint, please contact Lucy Batten, our Chief Risk and Operations Officer and Head of Legal Practice by email at lucy@montpellier.legal, or using the same contact details as above, who will conduct a separate review and provide a further response within 4 weeks.    

Legal Ombudsman  

If after following our complaints process you remain dissatisfied, you may contact the Legal Ombudsman directly and ask them to consider the complaint further.    

The Legal Ombudsman investigates complaints about service issues with lawyers. You can find out more about their service by visiting www.legalombudsman.org.uk or contacting them on 0300 555 0333 or by post to: Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6167, Slough, SL1 0EH.  

The Legal Ombudsman will  first expect you to allow us to consider and respond to your complaint in accordance with the procedure set out above, unless it agrees there are good reasons not to do so.   

They also expect complaints to be made to them within one year of the date of the act or omission about which you are concerned, or of you realising there was a concern. You must refer your concerns to the Legal Ombudsman within six months of our final response to you. 

If your unresolved complaint relates to an insurance policy covering your case, you may alternatively contact the Financial Ombudsman Service by email at complaint.info@financial-ombudsman.org.uk or post, addressed to the Financial Ombudsman Service, Exchange Tower, London E14 9SR. Alternatively you may contact them by phone on 0800 023 4567.  

Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) is a form of mediation similar, but separate to, the Legal Ombudsman.  

Companies exist who may be competent to mediate in some disputes, but you would need to obtain our express prior permission to use such a company. This doesn’t apply to contacting the Legal or Financial Ombudsman, which you can do at any time. You can find out more about ADR online.  

Complaints about our bill   

You also have the right to challenge or complain about our bill and costs information to the Legal Ombudsman.  

The Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) is the compensation scheme for customers of UK authorised financial services firms. The scheme can compensate customers if a firm has stopped trading or does not have enough assets to pay a claim made against it. The current maximum protection is £85,000.  

The FSCS advises that any monies transferred from a bank account to a client account are treated for the purposes of the FSCS limit (£85,000) as being monies in your bank account (i.e. where the funds originated from). If the bank fails, you will only be able to recover £85,000 in total, the FSCS limit being for the amount per individual not per account.   

The FSCS will provide a £1 million protection limit for temporary high balances held with a bank, building society or credit union, if it fails. Further details relating to what constitutes a temporary high balance and the rules relating to the protection can be found at www.fscs.org.uk .  

In the event of a bank failure you agree to us disclosing details to the FSCS for the purposes of these protections.   

Montpellier Legal Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) under Licence number 14753. We are a licensed Alternative Business Structure providing conveyancing services. You can view our entry on the CLC register.