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Policies & Procedures

Mission Statement

It is the objective of Sovereign Chambers to create a safe working environment. Therefore we promote equality and equal opportunities for all members and staff and any person who may subsequently join chambers. In order to maintain a high standard for our employees and clients, we have provided a quality manual to explain our policies and procedures and to ensure that these are enforced.

In our continual effort for improvement, Chambers strives to assist all employees in their professional development and regular reviews of all procedures guarentee constant progression which is beneficial to both staff and clients. Progression and development will aid the controlled growth and expansion of Chambers.

Client Care Policy

• Meeting the needs of our clients is our top priority.
• We aim to get it right first time, every time.
• We place great importance on personal contact and clients can always speak directly to the Barristers and Support Team involved in working on your behalf.
• We recognise that each client tends to have different needs and we tailor our services to satisfy those needs.
• We always aim to meet, and wherever possible, exceed your expectations.
• We work to the highest possible professional standards as set by our governing bodies.
• All our teams undertake continuous training to help them keep fully up to date with changes to ensure the best service to our clients.
• All Barristers and Support Team members of Chambers are bound by contractual standards which require them to keep all information concerning clients and their work strictly confidential.
• Being equipped with the latest technology means that we can deliver an efficient service to the highest standards.
• Every client is important to us and a director is reponsible for the delivery of high quality service to each client.
• We protect data stored by Chambers and in turn protect our clients security.
• Our pricing policy aims to be open and fair.
• We aim to provide value for money with everthing we do.

Accessibility Policy

Sovereign Chambers currently has no employees suffering from any ailment or disability that would require reasonable adjustment to the physical features of its premises under the Disability Discrimination Act 2005 and Disability Discrimation (Employment) Regulations 1996. However should this position change Sovereign Chambers is bound not only by the statutory requirements stated but by internal Discrimination Policies to accomodate physically challenged employees by making all alterations that are required by the individual(s) to carry out the normal day to day work. Additionally should any client with access issues require the services of the company, alternative arrangements offering the same facilities will be made.

Complaints Procedure

• Our aim is to give you a good service at all times. However, if you have a complaint you are invited to let us know as soon as possible. It is not necessary to involve solicitors in order to make your complaint but you are free to do so should you wish.
• Please note that the Legal Ombudsman, the independent complaints body for service complaints about lawyers, has a 12 month time limit from the date of the act or omission about which you are complaining within which to make your complaint. Chambers must therefore have regard to that timeframe when deciding whether they are able to investigate your complaint. Chambers will not deal with complaints that fall outside of the 12 month time limit.

Complaints Made by Telephone
• You may wish to make a complaint in writing and, if so, please follow the procedure in paragraph 4 and 5 below. However, if you would rather speak on the telephone about your complaint then please telephone the individual nominated under the Chambers Complaints Procedure to deal with complaints:  either Shelagh Kirkby (Chambers Director) or David Gordon (Head of Chambers).  The person you contact will make a note of the details of your complaint and what you would like done about it. S/he will discuss your concerns with you and aim to resolve them. If the matter is resolved, s/he will record the outcome, check that you are satisfied with the outcome and record that you are satisfied. You may also wish to record the outcome of the telephone discussion in writing.
• If your complaint is not resolved on the telephone, you will be invited to write to us about it within the next 14 days so it can be investigated formally.

Complaints made in Writing
• Please give the following details:
o Your name and address;
o Which member(s) of Chambers you are complaining about;
o The detail of the complaint; and
o What you would like done about it.
• Please address your letter to Shelagh Kirkby (Chambers Director).  We will, where possible, acknowledge receipt of your complaint within two days and provide you with details of how your complaint will be dealt with.
• Our Chambers has a panel headed by David Gordon (Head of Chambers), and made up of experienced members of Chambers and a senior member of staff, which considers any written complaint. Within 14 days of your letter being received the head of the panel or his deputy in his absence will appoint a member of the panel to investigate it. If your complaint is against the head of the panel, the next most senior member of the panel will investigate it. In any case, the person appointed will be someone other than the person you are complaining about.

• The person appointed to investigate will write to you as soon as possible to let you know s/he has been appointed and that s/he will reply to your complaint within 14 days. If s/he finds later that s/he is not going to be able to reply within 14 days, s/he will set a new date for her/his reply and inform you. Her/his reply will set out:
o The nature and scope of his investigation;
o Her/his conclusion on each complaint and the basis for his conclusion; and
o If s/he finds that you are justified in your complaint, her/his proposals for resolving the complaint.

Confidentiality
• All conversations and documents relating to the complaint will be treated as confidential and will be disclosed only to the extent that is necessary. Disclosure will be to the Head of Chambers, members of our Management Board and to anyone involved in the complaint and its investigation. Such people will include the barrister member or staff who you have complained about, the head or relevant senior member of the panel and the person who investigates the complaint.   The Bar Standards Board is entitled to inspect the documents and seek information about the complaint when discharging its auditing and monitoring functions.

Our Policy
• As part of our commitment to client care we make a written record of any complaint and retain all documents and correspondence generated by the complaint for a period of six years.  Our management committee inspects an anonymised record regularly with a view to improving services.

Complaints to the Legal Ombudsman
• If you are unhappy with the outcome of our investigation you may take up your complaint with the Legal Ombudsman, the independent complaints body for complaints about lawyers, at the conclusion of our consideration of your complaint. The Ombudsman is not able to consider your complaint until it has first been investigated by Chambers. Please note that the Legal Ombudsman has a 12-month time limit from the date of the act or omission about which you are complaining within which to make your complaint. You can write to them at:

o Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 15870, Birmingham, B30 9EB
o Telephone number: 0300 555 0333
o Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk

Non-Discrimination and Equal Opportunities Policy

We, as a Chambers, are committed to creating an unprejudiced environment and thus we do not discriminate on the basis of race, colour, ethnic or national origin, nationality, citizenship, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, age, religion or political persuasion. This applies to our treatment of clients and staff, our attitude to the acceptance of briefs and our employment selection policy. No decisions on recruitment, training, development, promotion or anything which may affect employees, applicants and clients will be influenced by any of these factors. The policy also covers the conduct of all members, pupils and staff and discrimination of any kind will be viewed as unacceptable. Any breach of this conduct will result in the commencement of discipinary procedures. It is the policy of these Chambers to adhere to the Bar Council Equality Code, complaint with the Bar Code of conduct. These specifications are as follows:

• Para.204 of the code of conduct of the Bar of England and Wales prohibits a practising Barrister from discriminating on the grounds of their race, colour, ethnic or national origin, nationality, marital status, disability, religion or political persuasion.
• Under Para.304 of the code of Conduct Barristers in independent practice must have regard to the Equality Code for the Bar.
• The Sex Discrimination Act 1975 and the Race Relations Act 1976, as amended by section 64 of the courts of Legal Services Act 1990, place a duty on Barristers (and barrister's clerks) not to discriminate on the grounds of race or sex.
• It is unlawful for a person to victimise persons by treating them less favourably because they have brought proceedings under the Race Relations or Sex Discrimination Act, have given evidence or information relating to proceedings or have alleged that discrimination had occured. Such treatment will also breach Para.204 of the Code of conduct.
• It is unlawful for a person to instruct, induce or attempt to induce another person to discriminate on the grounds of race, colour, ethnic or national origin, nationailty, citizenship, sex or marital status. Equally it is unlawful to act on such instructions or inducment.
• Employers or principles are vicariously liable for any unlawfully discriminatory act of their employees or agents in the course of their work, unless they can demonstrate that they have taken all reasonable steps to prevent such acts.
• Para. 601 and 602 expressly prohibit a Barrister from withdrawing his services on the grounds of objection to the case, objection to the beliefs of the client, or the financial implications of the case. Irrespective of the client paying privately or being funded publicly, the party on whose behalf he has been instructed, the nature of the case, and any opinion formed about the character or the case, a Barrister who supplies advocacy services must accept any brief, appropriate to his experience, to appear before a court in which he professes to practice, any instructions, and act on behalf of any person.