Legatia Law aims to provide a high standard of service in every mediation it conducts and every training course it delivers. If you consider that we have fallen short of that standard, we want to know, and this procedure explains how to tell us, what we will do and within what time, and what you may do if you remain dissatisfied.
Who may complain
A complaint may be made by a party to a mediation conducted by Legatia Law, or by a person who has booked or attended a training course or programme delivered by Legatia Law. We do not accept a complaint made by a lawyer, representative or other person on behalf of a party or participant.
What we can and cannot consider
We can consider a complaint about the conduct of the mediator, about the administration of a mediation, or about the delivery or administration of a training course or programme.
We cannot consider a complaint about the outcome of a mediation, including the terms on which a settlement was or was not agreed. A mediation is confidential, without prejudice and voluntary, and its outcome is the parties’ own. We cannot consider a complaint about the conduct or statements of anyone other than the mediator. The result of an assessment on a training programme is dealt with under the separate Assessment Appeal Procedure, which every participant receives on booking. We may decline a complaint that is, in our reasonable opinion, unclear, unreasonable, persistent, frivolous or vexatious. If we do, we will tell you why.
When to complain
A complaint about a mediation must be made within three months of the date on which the mediation came to an end. A complaint about a training course or programme must be made within three months of the last day of the course or programme. We will not consider a complaint made after that time unless there is a good reason for the delay, which you should explain in your complaint.
How to complain
Please put your complaint in writing and send it by email to our complaints handling team at complaints@legatialaw.com. Give your name and contact details, the mediation or course to which the complaint relates and its date, what you say went wrong, and what you would like to happen. We will treat what you tell us in confidence, subject to the confidentiality provisions of any mediation agreement.
If the complaint concerns something that can be put right at once, please raise it with the mediator or trainer at the time. Most concerns are best resolved when they arise.
Stage one
Our complaints handling team will acknowledge your complaint by email within five working days of receiving it and tell you how it will be dealt with.
The team will investigate your complaint. It will consider what you have written, the documents we hold on the mediation or course, and any other information relevant to the complaint. The mediator or trainer concerned will be asked to respond to the complaint but will not decide it. The team will send you its findings and any action it proposes in a written response within fifteen working days of the acknowledgement. If more time is needed, we will tell you why and when the response will be sent.
If your complaint is upheld, in whole or in part, we will say so and take the appropriate action to address the issue.
Stage two: referral to the Civil Mediation Council (CMC)
If you are dissatisfied with our response at stage one, you may refer your complaint to the Civil Mediation Council (CMC), of which Miriam Bailey-Parkyns is a Registered Fellow Member under membership registration number 1046. The CMC will consider a complaint only after our own procedure has been completed. It must receive your complaint within one month of our final response and in any event within six months of the events giving rise to it.
The CMC considers complaints about the professional conduct of its members. It does not review the outcome of a member’s own complaints procedure, does not order refunds or compensation, and does not comment on the conduct or content of a mediation session. A complaint to the CMC must be in writing and sent by email to complaints@civilmediation.org, or by post to the Civil Mediation Council, 100 St Paul’s Churchyard, 3rd Floor, London EC4M 8BU. The CMC’s complaints procedure and guidance are published at civilmediation.org.
Records
We keep a written record of every complaint received, of the investigation and of the outcome.