Requests for information or complaints about Thomas Dillon’s services (other than in relation to work clerked by his chambers at 4-5 Gray’s Inn Square) should be sent to him using the e-mail address post@dillon.eu or by post. A lay client may complain directly to him without going through solicitors.
All complaints will be acknowledged promptly. The complaint will be dealt with by Mr Dillon. A copy of this procedure will be provided to the complainant with the acknowledgement, together with the date by which Mr Dillon will next be in contact with the complainant.
At the conclusion of the complaints-handling process, a complainant may, in certain circumstances, refer the matter to the Civil Mediation Council (CMC). Such referrals are considered having regard to whether the matters raised could amount to Serious Professional Misconduct and could thereby meet the requisite high threshold of seriousness. Please note that, as a CMC referral relates only to matters which could give rise to Serious Professional Misconduct, this is not a route to compensation, redress, or resolution, and cannot be used to appeal, change, or otherwise alter or overrule the outcome of a CHP. Further information is available at: www.civilmediation.org/concerns.
Legal Ombudsman
At the conclusion of the complaints process, the complainant will be informed in writing of his right to complain to the Legal Ombudsman, the timeframe for doing so and the full details of how to contact the Legal Ombudsman.
The Legal Ombudsman’s prior decisions are accessible here.
Any reference of a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman must be made within 6 months of Mr Dillon’s response to the complaint. It must also be made within (a) one year from the act/omission complained of; or (b) one year from when the complainant should reasonably have known there was cause for complaint without taking advice from a third party; whichever is later. In exceptional circumstances, the Legal Ombudsman may extend any of these time limits to the extent that he considers fair.
Legal Ombudsman: |
Telephone: 0300 555 0333Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.ukPost: PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton WV1 9WJ. |
Confidentiality and record-keeping
All communications and documents relating to complaints will be kept confidential and disclosed only so far as is necessary for (a) the investigation and resolution of the complaint ; (b) internal Chambers review for the purposes of improving practice or (c) complying with requests from the Bar Standards Board in the exercise of its monitoring and or auditing functions.
A record will be kept of each complaint, all steps taken in response to it and the outcome of the complaint, together with a copy of all correspondence, including electronic mail, and all other documents generated in response to the complaint. The records and copies will be kept for 6 years.