Complaints policy and procedure
We are committed to providing a high-quality legal service to all our clients. When something goes wrong, we need you to tell us about it. This helps us to improve our standards.
Our complaints procedure
If you have a complaint, please contact Joanne Dewhurst, our Compliance Officer for Legal Practice (COLP). Joanne will pass your complaint to the Manager in charge of the department involved. If she has to change any of the timescales set out below, she will let you know and explain why.
How to contact us
Joanne Dewhurst, Compliance Officer for Legal Practice
Post: Antony Hodari Solicitors, 83 Fountain Street, Manchester M2 2EE
Telephone: 0161 838 7146
If your complaint relates to an issue regarding costs or a Costs Lawyer, please refer to the difference in procedure under the heading "Complaints involving costs issues" further down this page.
What will happen next
We will send you a letter acknowledging your complaint and asking you to confirm or explain any details. If it seems appropriate, we will suggest a meeting at this stage. We will also let you know the name of the person who will be dealing with your complaint.
We will then open a file for your complaint and commence our investigation. This may involve one or more of the following steps:
- We will ask the person who acted for you to provide their comments on your complaint. We will then examine their reply and any information in your file, and we may also speak to the person who acted for you.
- We will then write, discuss and hopefully resolve your complaint.
- We aim to resolve any complaint within 21 days of its receipt.
- In appropriate cases we would offer an apology, a reduction in any bill, or a repayment in relation to any payment received.
- Alternatively, if the matter cannot be resolved swiftly, we would liaise with the person dealing with your file to attend to any problem to your satisfaction before the file is continued with.
If you remain unsatisfied
Service complaints: the Legal Ombudsman
If you are still not satisfied, and your complaint relates to a service issue, for example the work done or communication issues, you can contact the Legal Ombudsman about your complaint. We very much hope this will not be necessary.
Legal Ombudsman
Post: PO Box 6167, Slough, SL1 0EH
Telephone: 0300 555 0333 · Minicom: 0300 555 1777
Website: www.legalombudsman.org.uk
Time limits apply. The Legal Ombudsman expects complaints to be made to them within one year of the act or omission. You must also refer your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman within six months of our final response to you.
The Legal Ombudsman will not consider a complaint before the solicitor has had the opportunity to resolve the complaint through its own internal complaints procedure.
Mediation
You may also wish to consider ADR or mediation to seek to resolve any unsettled complaint. There are a number of mediation providers offering an online video mediation service, which we consider the most proportionate method. Pro Mediate (www.promediate.co.uk) provide a complaints resolution service.
While we would consider requests for mediation, we consider that the service offered by the Legal Ombudsman is the most appropriate means of resolving complaints. We would not consider mediation if the matter has already been dealt with by the Legal Ombudsman.
Conduct complaints: the Solicitors Regulation Authority
If your complaint relates to poor conduct or behaviour on the part of a solicitor or a firm, and you remain unsatisfied, you can report the issue to the Solicitors Regulation Authority via their online reporting form: www.sra.org.uk/consumers/problems/report-solicitor.
There is no time limit for reporting complaints of this nature.
Complaints involving costs issues
If your complaint relates to the quality of service provided by a Costs Lawyer, your complaint will be dealt with in line with our internal complaints procedure as set out above. If the service complaint is not dealt with, or you are not satisfied with the response, you can refer it to the Legal Ombudsman as set out above.
If your complaint relates to the professional conduct of a Costs Lawyer, your complaint will be dealt with in line with our internal complaints procedure as set out above. If the conduct complaint is not dealt with, or you are not satisfied with the response within an eight-week period, you can refer it to the Costs Lawyer Standards Board (CLSB).
There is a time limit for complaints to the CLSB. This is ordinarily within 12 months of the date on which the matters giving rise to the complaint occurred, or when you realised you had cause for complaint.
Costs Lawyer Standards Board
Post: PO Box 4336, Manchester, M61 0BW
Telephone: 0161 956 8969
Email: enquiries@clsb.info
Website: clsb.info
If a complaint concerns both service and conduct issues relating to a Costs Lawyer, it will usually be considered by the Legal Ombudsman in the first instance.
Complaints Policy and Procedure · Version 11 · Date created: 25/06/2014 · Last reviewed: 25/06/2026
Data protection complaints policy and procedure
We are committed to providing a high-quality legal service to all our clients. When something goes wrong, we need you to tell us about it. This helps us to improve our standards.
Our data protection complaints procedure
If you have a complaint relating to data protection, please contact Joanne Dewhurst, our Compliance Officer for Legal Practice (COLP).
How to contact us
Joanne Dewhurst, Compliance Officer for Legal Practice
Post: Antony Hodari Solicitors, 83 Fountain Street, Manchester M2 2EE
Telephone: 0161 838 7146
What will happen next
The law requires us to acknowledge receipt of your complaint within 30 days beginning when the complaint is received. We will send you a letter acknowledging your complaint and asking you to confirm or explain any further details. We will aim to do this within 24 hours of its receipt.
We will then open a file for your complaint and commence our investigation. This may involve one or more of the following steps:
- We will ask the person who acted for you or handled the data to provide their comments on your complaint. We will then examine their reply and any information in your file, and we may also speak to the person who acted for you.
- Any further relevant investigations may be carried out.
- We will then write and hopefully resolve your complaint.
- We aim to resolve any complaint within 21 days of our acknowledgement.
If further time is required, for example in the event of a complex complaint or a large volume of documentation, we will advise you of a longer timeframe and keep you updated as to the progress of the investigation.
If you remain unsatisfied
If you are still not satisfied, you can contact the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) about your data protection complaint. We very much hope this will not be necessary.
Information Commissioner's Office
Post: Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF
Website: ico.org.uk
There is no time limit for reporting a data protection complaint to the ICO, but they generally expect complaints to be made within three months of your last contact with us, failing which their ability to investigate may be hindered.
Data Protection Complaints Policy and Procedure · Version 3 · Date created: 13/05/2026 · Last reviewed: 25/06/2026