Customer Care

Doughty Street Chambers aims to provide a high quality legal service which is flexible, efficient, sensitive and value for money. This means that:

• Our barristers work with the solicitor as a team in the interest of the client

• Every case is thoroughly prepared

• We are open and honest about the availability and suitability of counsel

• We will meet all reasonable deadlines

• Our staff are trained to give a polite, efficient and friendly service

• We publish our fee rates

• We hope you have no cause for complaint but if the need arises our complaints procedure offers prompt and effective redress.

We aim to meet the following targets:

• Our switchboard is open between 8.30am and 6.30pm and we aim to answer all calls within 30 seconds

• Barristers and staff aim to respond to all telephone messages within 24 hours

• Correspondence addressed to the clerks will be dealt with within 24 hours

• We will respond to general correspondence within 14 days

• All paperwork will be completed and returned within 28 days unless an alternative arrangement has been negotiated between the solicitor and clerk when booking in the case

• For small and standard criminal cases we aim to send out fee-notes within five days of the end of a case. Claims for non-standard cases will be sent within one month

• Papers in graduated fee and magistrate court cases will be returned to the solicitor within a week of the end of the case. Ex post facto and VHCC case papers will be returned within four weeks

• On civil paperwork fee-notes will be sent out within 48 hours, after each piece of work, unless otherwise requested

It is the policy of Doughty Street Chambers to operate a quality assurance policy that will fully meet the requirements of Investors in People and the Legal Services Commission Quality Mark for the Bar and provide a professional service which generates work and income from satisfying, or even delighting our customers.

We recognise that achieving these standards depends on the wholehearted cooperation, motivation and involvement of all staff and barristers in Doughty Street Chambers. Only with the full and active support of all parts of the organisation can we promote confidence, trust and dependability to our solicitors and their clients.

What to do if you are dissatisfied with our service

We welcome your comments on our performance and would like to know if it meets your expectations. Please contact the Chief Executive on extension 210 or by email on ann.conway-hughes@doughtystreet.co.uk if you are not satisfied with any aspect of our service.

You can also download a copy of our complaints policy by clicking here (pdf format, 30kb). This file requires Acrobat Reader to open it before printing - if you haven't got Acrobat Reader please visit the Adobe Website and download Acrobat Reader 7 first by clicking here.

Training

Chambers is fully committed to training as part of a continuing process to improve skills and services. This applies to staff, practitioners and pupils. Wherever possible training is linked to external standards such as National Vocational Qualifications and relevant national technical or professional certification.

Doughty Street Chambers has made a commitment to investing in its employees and has been accredited with Investors in People status since May 2000.