COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE
Client feedback and complaints
We are committed to providing an excellent standard of service to our clients. We value feedback from clients greatly because it helps us to continually improve our service. If you do not feel that you are receiving excellent client service, or that something could be improved, please do tell us about it. If we have fallen short of the high standards, we have set for ourselves then we would like the opportunity to learn from it and to put things right.
How to give feedback or make a complaint
Wherever possible it would be helpful if you could discuss any feedback or concerns with the lawyer dealing with your matter informally first, as they may be able to resolve your concerns without the need for a formal complaint.
However, if the lawyer dealing cannot resolve your concern informally, or if the issue is of such a serious or sensitive nature that you do not feel comfortable raising it with them, please feel welcome to raise your concerns by sending an email to solutions@clay-law.com as a formal complaint under this policy.
How to make a formal complaint under this policy
To enable us to investigate and provide a thorough response to your concerns, we will need to form a good understanding of the issues. We would welcome hearing from you by email or by post with a brief explanation of:
Please address your concerns to: solutions@clay-law.com
If you would prefer not to, or would find it difficult to, send written details of your complaint in this way, please call +254 20 2100 999 to speak to a member of our team so that we can discuss the best way for you to give us an understanding of your concerns (for example, by phone, in a face-to-face meeting or video call).
What happens after I have made a complaint under this policy?
We will:
There is no fee for making a complaint and we will not charge you for investigating and responding to your concerns.
Your complaint will be investigated and handled independently of your legal matter. This means that if your legal matter is ongoing it will continue to progress as normal and will not be affected or disadvantaged by the complaints process, assuming no conflict of interests has arisen and that you continue to comply with the terms of our engagement as set out in our engagement letter and terms of business.
Do I have to pay my bill if I am complaining?
Our terms of business provide that our invoices remain payable within 30 days regardless of the investigation of any complaint.
However, please be assured that if the outcome of any complaint investigation concludes that any adjustment or reduction in costs should be made, any reimbursement will be paid within a reasonable time.
How long will it take?
We will aim to conclude our investigation and provide our Final Response as quickly as possible. Although we will always aim for sooner, the process may take up to eight weeks from receipt of your complaint.
In exceptional circumstances it may be necessary to extend these timescales. If this occurs, we will let you know in writing and will try to agree any variations with you first.
What might the outcome of my complaint be?
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. Depending on the circumstances this may include, for example, an offer of compensation, reduced fees, further assistance or other proposals. These are only examples and may not be relevant or appropriate in all cases.
We will also take steps internally to ensure that any problems that you have experienced will not reoccur.
What if I remain dissatisfied?
If you remain dissatisfied after receiving our Final Response, or in the unlikely event that you have not received a Final Response within eight weeks of receiving your complaint, you may be entitled to report the matter to the Law Society of Kenya.
Complaints about your bill
If you are complaining about our bill, in addition to referring your complaint to the Law Society of Kenya, you may be entitled to ask the court to assess your costs under the Advocates Remuneration Order, 2014, Laws of Kenya.
Concerns about professional misconduct
In the unlikely event that you have more serious concerns that a lawyer or the firm have been involved in professional misconduct then it may be appropriate for you to refer this to the Advocates Complaints Commission.
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.
Alternative dispute resolution (ADR)
Other ADR services providers exist that are competent to deal with complaints in the legal sector, including Arbitration and Mediation. Therefore, we have adopted an alternative ADR procedure and do not agree to use any other dispute resolution mechanisms.