Our complaint procedure
Our procedure
We are dedicated to providing you with high-quality legal services. However, if you are unhappy or concerned about the service provided to you or the amount we have billed you, please contact us immediately so we can do our best to resolve any concerns.
How to make a complaint
In the first instance, you should contact the partner responsible for their matter. If your responsible partner is unable to propose a suitable solution, or you do not feel comfortable raising it with them, please raise your concerns with the Global Managing Partner as a formal complaint under this policy.
A formal complaint may be made by email or in writing to:
- tim.pearce@bedellcristin.com; or
- 26 New Street, FAO: Tim Pearce, St Helier, Jersey, JE2 3RA.
We need to form a good understanding of the issues to enable us to investigate and respond to your concerns and would appreciate if you would send us details and how you would like to be contacted in the future about your complaint.
We will not charge you for investigating and responding to your complaint.
How we will handle your complaint
- We will send you a written acknowledgement to the address provided within two working days of receiving it. Our Global Managing Partner will then arrange for your complaint to be investigated. This will generally involve a locally qualified senior partner reviewing your matter file and speaking with members of staff that acted on your matter, and promptly let you know if we need any further information from you to assist this investigation.
- The Global Managing Partner will send you a written reply to your complaint with their suggestions for resolving the matter within 30 days of sending you the acknowledgement of your complaint.
- You should contact us again within 14 days of our written reply confirming whether you are satisfied with these suggestions. If you are not satisfied, you should specify what, if anything, you would like us to do which would resolve your concerns. We will consider any suggestions you make.
- Whether or not we hear from you, we will confirm our final position on your complaint in writing, explaining the reasons for our decision, and setting out your right to complain to the relevant regulator of legal services in the relevant jurisdiction within 21 days of our written reply. This letter will be our final response to your complaint.
Your complaint will be investigated and handled independently of your legal matter(s), which will progress as normal and be unaffected by the complaints procedure provided no conflicts of interest has arisen and you continue to comply with the terms of your engagement as set out in your engagement letter and terms of business.
We regret any dissatisfaction which our clients experience and, if our investigation concludes that our service has fallen below our usual high standards, we will not hesitate to apologise. We may also make any proposals that we consider appropriate to resolve or improve your situation and will take steps internally to ensure that any problems that you have experienced will not reoccur.
What if I am still dissatisfied?
If you are still dissatisfied, we set out below details of which regulatory person or body that you can contact.
- In the BVI, contact the President of the BVI Bar Association at BVI Bar Association > About Us > Disciplinary and Complaints Procedure
- In the Cayman Islands, contact the Chief Justice of the Cayman Islands with a copy to the Attorney General of the Cayman Islands.
- In Guernsey, contact the Guernsey Bar at the Chambre de Discipline | Guernsey Bar - Barreau de Guernsey
- In Jersey or London, contact the Law Society of Jersey at The Law Society of Jersey :: Complaints (jerseylawsociety.je)
- In Singapore, contact the Law Society of Singapore Complaints Against Lawyers – The Law Society of Singapore
