Law Offices of
Logo - An infinity loop sits behind the wording Suzanne M Reisman

COMPLAINTS HANDLING PROCEDURES

 

I am committed to providing outstanding legal services to all of my clients. If you feel an aspect of my service could be improved, I would appreciate it if you would tell me about it. This will help me to improve the services that I provide to you. Indeed, if you are dissatisfied with any aspect of the services provided, including my invoice, you are entitled to complain.

 
Raising Your Complaint in New York State

As a lawyer admitted to practice in the State of New York I am required to abide by the New York State Rules of Professional Conduct, as adopted by the Appellate Division of New York State Supreme Court. Ideally you will raise the complaint with me first but you are not required to do so.

My New York office is in Manhattan. Complaints raised against lawyers with Manhattan offices are handled by the Departmental Disciplinary Committee for the First Department. The Disciplinary Committee’s contact details are:

Attorney Grievance Committee
Supreme Court, Appellate Division First Judicial Department
180 Maiden Lane
New York, NY 10038
+1 212 401-0800 (9 A.M. - 5P.M. EST)

 
My Internal Procedures

If you have a complaint, please contact me and provide me with the details of the complaint.

  1. A complaint will be acknowledged in writing within two (2) working days.
  2. I will respond fully as soon as practicable and within 14 days.
    • My response will usually be in writing, and I may suggest a meeting.
    • I will inform you of my views about your complaint and how I propose to resolve it.
  3. If we meet to discuss your complaint, I will write to you to confirm what took place and any solutions I have agreed with you within three days of the meeting.
  4. If you are not satisfied, please contact me again and I will arrange for another solicitor at a firm regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority to review the matter.
  5. He or she will write to you within 14 days of receiving your request for a review, confirming our final position on your complaint and explaining our reasons.

 
Escalating Your Complaint in England and Wales

If you are not satisfied with my response, you may refer your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman.

  • The Legal Ombudsman is an independent and impartial body established to assist members of the public who wish to make a complaint about a legal services provider who has acted for them.
  • If my internal complaints procedure has not resolved your complaint to your satisfaction within 8 weeks after you raise it, you may bring your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman.
  • If you wish to have the Legal Ombudsman review your complaint, you must raise the complaint with them within six years of your grounds for dissatisfaction arising or three years from the deemed date of knowledge of those grounds.
  • The Legal Ombudsman generally will not consider a complaint until the client has exhausted a legal services provider’s complaints procedure.
  • If the Legal Ombudsman is satisfied that a legal services provider’s proposals for resolving a complaint are reasonable, it may decide not to investigate further.
  • The Legal Ombudsman’s contact details are:

    Legal Ombudsman, P.O. Box 6806, Wolverhampton, WV1 9WJ
    www.legalombudsman.org.uk
    enquiries@legal.ombudsman.org.uk
    0300 555 0333 (between 9:00am and 5:00pm)