Complaint Procedure
If you wish to make a complaint please follow the simple process below
All members and employees of KBG Chambers strive to provide you with high quality advice and standards of service. However, we recognise that there may be occasions when you are dissatisfied with the service you receive and which you feel merit complaint. Chambers are constantly aiming to improve our client service, so take any feedback very seriously and always aim to find a solution in each situation.
Please note that the Legal Ombudsman, the independent complaints body for service complaints about lawyers, has time limits in which a complaint must be raised with them. From 1 April 2023, the time limits are:
- The complainant must refer the complaint to the Legal Ombudsman no later than one year from the act/omission, or one year from when the complainant should reasonably have known there was cause for complaint.
- The complainant must also refer the complaint to the Legal Ombudsman within six months of the complaint receiving a final response from their lawyer, if that response complies with the requirements in rule 4.4 of the Scheme Rules (which requires the response to include prominently an explanation that the Legal Ombudsman was available if the complainant remained dissatisfied, and the provision of full contact details for the Ombudsman and a warning that the complaint must be referred to them within six months).
Chambers must have regard to that timeframe when deciding whether they are able to investigate your complaint and so Chambers will only consider a complaint no later than one year from the act/omission. Chambers will not therefore usually deal with complaints that fall outside of the Legal Ombudsman's time limits. The Ombudsman can extend the time limit if it considers that it is fair and reasonable to do so.
The Ombudsman will also only deal with complaints from consumers. This means that only complaints from the barrister's client are within their jurisdiction. Non-clients who do not fall within the jurisdiction of the Ombudsman who are not satisfied with the outcome of the Chambers' investigation should contact the BSB rather than the Legal Ombudsman.
It should be noted that it may not always be possible to investigate a complaint brought by a non-client. This is because the ability of chambers to satisfactorily investigate and resolve such matters is limited and complaints of this nature are often better suited to the disciplinary processes maintained by the BSB. Therefore, chambers will make an initial assessment of the complaint and if they feel that the issues raised cannot be satisfactorily resolved through the chambers complaints process they will refer you to the BSB
You may contact us by telephone, email or in writing. KBG Chambers is fully committed to ensuring that all users of the complaint’s procedure are treated fairly, with respect and without discrimination based on race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, age, religion, or belief.
Complaints by Telephone
You may wish to make a complaint in writing and, if so, please follow the procedure below. However, if you would rather speak on the telephone about your complaint, then please telephone the individual nominated under the chambers complaints procedure to deal with complaints, Colin Palmer, Chambers’ Director.
The person you contact will make a note of the details of your complaint and what you would like to have done about it. They will discuss your concerns with you and aim to resolve them. If the matter is resolved they will record the outcome, check that you are satisfied with the outcome and record that you are satisfied. You may also wish to record the outcome of the telephone discussion in writing. It maybe the matter is passed to Jonathon Bosanko, Head of Chambers, or a member of the complaints panel but this will be explained on the telephone call.
If your complaint is not resolved on the telephone you will be invited to write to us about it, so it can be investigated formally.
Complaints made in writing
Please note, a formal complaint will be addressed if it is made within 1 year of the date of the cause of the complaint or when informal resolution has failed, whichever is the later.
If you wish to make a formal complaint in writing, please give the following details:
- Your name & Address
- Which Member(s) of Chambers you are complaining about;
- The detail of the complaint;
- What you would like done about it.
Please address your letter to:
Mr Colin Palmer (Chambers’ Director)
Unit 18
Mills Bakery
Royal William Yard
Plymouth
PL1 3GE
Tel: 01752 221551
Email: colin@kbgchambers.co.uk
Our chambers has a panel headed by Jonathon Bosanko, Head of Chambers, and made up of experienced members of chambers and a senior member of staff, which considers any written complaint. Within 14 days of your letter being received the head of the panel (or their deputy in their absence) will appoint a member of the panel to investigate it. If your complaint is against the head of the panel, the next most senior member of the panel will investigate it. In any case, the person appointed will be someone other than the person you are complaining about.
If it becomes plain that a response cannot be sent within 14 days a realistic timeframe will be sent and the client informed.
If you would like a copy of the investigation and response sent to you in the post this can be arranged. It can also be sent in braille or your spoken language on request. If you require the response read to you, this to can be arranged on the telephone.
The person appointed to investigate will write to you within a further 14 days, or as soon as possible outlining:
- The nature and scope of his investigation;·
- The conclusion on each complaint and the basis for that conclusion;·
- If it is found that you are justified in your complaint;·
- Proposals for resolving the complaint.
Complaints in regards to Mediation/Mediators
Our mediators are regulated under the Civil Mediation Council. Under their terms, and types of cases, the following dates/procedures will apply –
- Your complaint will be acknowledged in writing within 5 working days
- All complaints will be investigated and responded to within 21 workings days of receipt.
- In the case of Registered Mediation Providers, an investigation will be carried out by somebody other than the mediator that the complain related to.
- If you do not accept the response from us, you can appeal to the Civil Mediation Council on certain grounds. Details of the CMC’s appeal process can be found here. Please address your complaint as per the section above ‘Complaints made in writing’
Confidentiality and Legal Ombudsman
All conversations and documents relating to the complaint will be treated as confidential and will be disclosed to only to the extent that is necessary. The Bar Standards Board is entitled to inspect the documents and seek information about the complaint when discharging its auditing and monitoring functions. As part of our commitment to client care we make a written record of a complaint and retain all documents and correspondence generated by the complainant for a period of six years.
If you are unhappy with the outcome of our investigation and you fall within their jurisdiction you may take up your complaint with the Legal Ombudsman, the independent complaints body for complaints about lawyers, at the conclusion of our consideration of your complaint. The Ombudsman is not able to consider your complaint until it has first been investigated by chambers.
Those clients who are able to complain to the Legal Ombudsman are as follows:
- Individuals;
- Businesses or enterprises that are micro-enterprises within the meaning of Article 1 and Article 2(1) and (3) of the Annex to Commission Recommendation 2003/361/EC (broadly businesses or enterprises with fewer than 10 employees and turnover or assets not exceeding €2 million);
- Charities with an annual income net of tax of less than £1 million;
- Clubs, associations or organisations, the affairs of which are managed by its members or a committee of its members, with an annual income net of tax of less than £1 million;
- Trustees of trusts with an asset value of less than £1 million; and
- Personal representatives or beneficiaries of the estates of persons who, before they died, had not referred the complaint to the Legal Ombudsman.
You can write to the Legal Ombudsman at:
Legal Ombudsman PO Box 6167, Slough, SL1 0EH
Telephone number: 0300 555 0333
Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
If you are unhappy with the outcome of the investigation, alternative complaints bodies as approved by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute also exist which are competent to deal with complaints about legal services, should you and the barrister both wish to use such a scheme.
If you wish to use your chosen ADR provider, please contact us to discuss this, including time limits for contacting your chosen ADR.
Please also note that if mediation is used, neither you nor the barrister is required to accept the proposed resolution. If mediation does not resolve the complaint, you may still make a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman (provided you fall within their jurisdiction and you do so within the time limit).
If you are not the barrister's client and are unhappy with the outcome of our investigation then please contact the Bar Standards Board at: Bar Standards Board Contact and Assessment Team 289-293 High Holborn London WC1V 7JZ Telephone number: 0207 6111 444 Website: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk
Access to this document
If you would like a copy of this posted to you, please contact the clerks on clerks@kbgchambers.co.uk. This procedure can also be read to you on the telephone or provided in your spoken language if required.
This document was last updated in May 2026
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