Regulatory
1. Legal status
Pini Franco LLP is a limited liability partnership registered in England and Wales with registered number OC345371. Its registered office is at 22-24 Ely Place, London, EC1N 6TE.
Please note that we use the term “partner” or “partners” to refer to a member, or a consultant or employee with equivalent standing or qualifications, of Pini Franco LLP. A list of the partners/members of Pini Franco LLP appears on this website and is also available for inspection at the above address.
2. Regulatory information
Pini Franco LLP is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority of England and Wales (www.sra.org.uk). Pini Franco LLP is a recognised body for the provision of legal services and our SRA registration number is 514837. We are required to comply with the Solicitors Code of Conduct 2019.
A copy of Pini Franco LLP’s complaints procedure is available upon request. The Legal Ombudsman (www.legalombudsman.org.uk) deals with any unresolved complaints regarding our services to clients.
3. VAT
Our VAT registration number is GB 973438978.
4. Professional indemnity insurance
Pini Franco LLP maintains worldwide professional liability insurance with a limit of indemnity in excess of £3 million. Starr International (Europe) Ltd, Floor 4, 30 Fenchurch Avenue, London, EC3M 5AD underwrites the first £3 million of our professional liability insurance.
5. Pricing - available to download here.
Please note that the information provided in the above link does not amount to and should not be treated as a definitive estimate of costs of a particular case of transaction. A bespoke estimate of costs can be provided when further information regarding the specific nature of each individual case or transaction is known.
6. Complaints procedure
The Firm’s Quality Assurance Policy: As a firm we are committed to providing high quality legal service to all our clients.
Consequently, it is essential, when something goes wrong or a client believes they have reason to complain, that we have an effective procedure to assist the complete and early resolution of the problem. Only by doing so can we hope to maintain the quality standards we have set and improve them by learning from what may have gone wrong and what our clients tell us.
If you have any questions or concerns, please speak initially to your client partner or to the particular partner who is in charge of the work.
The person with overall responsibility for managing complaints is Monica Martini our Compliance Officer for Legal Practice and Partner. If you wish to raise a formal complaint we ask that you communicate your complaint to us in writing setting out your particular concerns. This helps us to understand your complaint and respond to it. If you want to raise a formal complaint please email Monica Martini at mmartini@pinifranco.com.
Alternatively you can write to the lawyer with conduct of your matter, client partner or the particular partner who is in charge of the work and request your complaint to be forwarded to Monica Martini.
Procedure:
It is important to raise your questions or concerns with us as soon as possible. Although not essential, in making your complaint it would be helpful to us if you could provide details of your concerns in writing (if you have not already done so). If you would prefer not to have to do this, please arrange to see us and we will be pleased to take details from you.
What will happen next:
1. We will register your complaint on our Register (for monitoring and management information purposes).
Timescale: Within 2 days of receipt of complaint.
2. We will acknowledge receipt of your complaint, set out our understanding of it and request your confirmation or seek any necessary clarification. We will also confirm who will deal with your complaint.
Timescale: Within 3 days of receipt of complaint.
3. We will then commence investigation of your complaint. This may involve one or more of the following steps:
a) We will ask the case worker who acted for you to provide us with a response to your complaint within 5 days.
Timescale: Within 1 day
b) We will then examine the response and the file as against your complaint and, if necessary, speak to the case worker.
Timescale: Within 3 days of receipt of the response and file
c) The firm’s client care partner will consider your complaint in the light of what the file reveals and the case worker’s response.
Timescale: Within 7 days
d) The Firm’s Client Care Partner will then write to you with a detailed response and invite you to meet with us to discuss and hopefully resolve your complaint.
Timescale: Within a further 3 days
4. If a meeting between us takes place, we will write to you to confirm what was discussed and detail any agreed solution that was reached.
Timescale: Within 2 days of the meeting
5. If a meeting is declined or is for some reason impractical, we will write to you again in an endeavour to resolve the complaint to our mutual satisfaction.
Timescale: Within 5 days of the meeting being declined
6. If, at a meeting or from your written reply to our detailed written response, you remain dissatisfied with what we have said and how we propose to resolve your complaint, we will arrange for our decision to be reviewed. This may happen in one of the following ways:
a) Our own review of our handling of your complaint and why you are dissatisfied with our decision.
Timescale: Within 5 days
b) By arranging for someone else in the Firm who is entirely unconnected with the complaint to review how it was handled and the decision taken.
Timescale: Within 10 days
c) By asking our local Law Society or another local firm of solicitors to review our handling of, and the decision on, your complaint (if they are willing to do so). This might take the form of mediation or some other type of alternative dispute resolution.
Timescale: Within 10 days
7. After the review has taken place you will be informed of the outcome.
Timescale: Within 5 days of the conclusion of the review.
8. We have eight weeks to consider your complaint. If you remain dissatisfied at the end of our complaints process, you would then be at liberty to contact the Legal Ombudsman to consider your complaint. Generally you must do that within six months from the date of our final written response to your complaint.
The Legal Ombudsman is the independent service set up to resolve complaints about legal services. Their office is PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton, WV1 9WJ (Tel: 0300 555 0333).
You have to make a formal complaint to us first, and give us the opportunity to deal with it before using the Legal Ombudsman. Ordinarily you must refer a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman:
- • within six years from our act or omission about which you are complaining;
- • or within three years from when you should reasonably have known there was cause for complaint without taking advice from a third party;
- whichever is later.
What to do if you are unhappy with our behaviour:
If you have concerns about our conduct such as dishonesty, taking or losing your money or treating you unfairly because of your age, a disability or other characteristic you have the right to raise your concerns with our regulator, the Solicitors Regulation Authority. You can visit their website to see how to raise your concerns: visit SRA website here.