As the firm is licensed for non-contentious probate services by the ICAEW, there is access to the Legal Ombudsman and the ICAEW Probate Compensation Scheme. If you would like to talk to us about how we could improve our service to you, or if you are unhappy with the service you are receiving, please let us know by contacting our Head of Legal Practice, David Hartley (david.hartley@stewartco.co.uk). We will consider carefully any complaint you may make about our probate or estate administration work as soon as we receive it and do all we can to resolve it. We will acknowledge your letter within five business days of its receipt and endeavour to deal with it within eight weeks. If we do not deal with your complaint in this time, or if you are unhappy with our response, you may of course take up the matter with the Legal Ombudsman (LeO). The Legal Ombudsman’s ability to deal with your complaint is dependent on the following factor’s; you must refer the complaint to the Legal Ombudsman no later than 1) six years from the act/omission; or 2) three years from when you should reasonably have known there was cause for complaint; and 3) you must refer the complaint to the Legal Ombudsman within six months of the date of our written response. Contact details for the Legal Ombudsman,Telephone 0300 555 0333, e-mail enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk or by post Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton WV1 9WJ.
In the unlikely event that we cannot meet our liabilities to you, you may be able to seek a grant from ICAEW’s Probate Compensation Scheme. Generally, applications for a grant must be made to ICAEW within 12 months of the time you become aware, or reasonably ought to have been aware of the loss. Further information about the scheme and the circumstances in which grants may be made is available on ICAEW’s website: www.icaew.com/probate
The firm has professional indemnity insurance, in accordance with the disclosure requirements of the Provision of Services Regulations 2009, details of our professional indemnity insurer is Allied World Assurance Company Limited, 19th Floor, 20 Fenchurch Street, London, EC3M 3BY. The territorial coverage is worldwide excluding professional business carried out from an office in the United States of America or Canada and excludes any action for a claim brought in any court in the United States of America or Canada.