Complaints about us

We believe everyone contacting or dealing with CILEx Regulation is entitled to expect a high standard of service. This includes complainants, regulated individuals and firms, other legal professionals and stakeholders.

We will deliver our commitment by:

making it easy for you to do business with us;
making sure you receive accurate advice and information;
treating you fairly, courteously and with respect;
doing what we say we will do;
being open and honest about what we can and cannot do;
listening to feedback and learning from it; and
ensuring that our regulatory arrangements and decision-making processes are fair and consistent.

Make a Complaint

If you wish to make a formal complaint about our service, please complete our online complaints form.

What to do if things go wrong

As an independent regulator, we are committed to providing a high-quality service and dealing with complaints fairly, consistently, transparently and promptly.

We recognise that complaints provide valuable feedback and an opportunity to improve our services, processes and ways of working.

Where appropriate, we encourage you to try to resolve concerns informally. If your concerns cannot be resolved informally, or if a formal complaint is appropriate in the circumstances, you can make a formal complaint using our complaints process.

For full details, please see our Service Complaints Policy.

What you can complain about

Examples include:

unreasonable delay;
failure to communicate appropriately;
administrative errors;
unprofessional behaviour;
failure to follow published procedures; or
discrimination or unfair treatment.

What you cannot complain about

This process cannot be used to:

appeal or challenge a regulatory decision;
challenge the decision of a committee, panel or tribunal;
obtain legal advice; or
make a complaint about a regulated individual or firm.

For concerns about a regulated individual or firm, please use our Misconduct Information Form.

We are committed to ensuring that our complaints process is accessible to everyone. If you require reasonable adjustments or support to make a complaint, please contact us and we will work with you to meet your needs wherever reasonably practicable.

Complaints process

Informal resolution

Where appropriate, we encourage you to raise concerns directly with the relevant person, team or department. Informal resolution may include an explanation, clarification, apology or other appropriate action.

Stage 1

If your concern cannot be resolved informally, or if a formal complaint is appropriate in the circumstances, please complete our complaints form.

We will:

acknowledge receipt of your complaint;
ensure your complaint is considered by an appropriate senior manager;
respond within 15 working days, or explain why we are unable to do so and provide a revised timescale; and
tell you whether we consider your complaint to be justified, partly justified or not justified.

Stage 2

If you are dissatisfied with the outcome of your Stage 1 complaint, or how your complaint has been handled, you may request a Stage 2 review.

We will:

acknowledge receipt of your request;
arrange for the review to be undertaken by a Director of Service who has had no operational involvement in the matter, or by the Chief Executive where appropriate;
provide a full response within 20 working days, or explain why we are unable to do so and provide a revised timescale; and
tell you whether your request for a review has been upheld, partly upheld or not upheld.

Stage 2 concludes our complaints process and there is no further right of review under this procedure.

We record and monitor complaints, comments and compliments to identify trends, improve our services and help prevent similar issues arising in the future.

Unreasonable behaviour policy

We recognise that people who are dissatisfied with our services may express strong views or pursue matters persistently.

We will not restrict access to our complaints process solely because a person is persistent or critical of our services.

However, where behaviour becomes unreasonable, abusive, threatening or places a disproportionate burden on our resources, we may take appropriate action in accordance with our Unreasonable Behaviour Policy.

Complaints about us