- Environmental Policy
- Diversity and Inclusion Statement
- Legal Information
3.1. Professional Insurance
3.2. Regulators
3.3. Company Information
3.4. Complaints Handling - Disclaimer
1. Environmental Policy
Seraphus seeks excellence in every aspect of our business, but not at the expense of the environment. We are committed to minimising the environmental impact of our operations.
To achieve this commitment, we aim to:
- Reduce materials consumption and improve efficiency in the use and management of resources.
- Give priority to environmental considerations when we source and select products.
- Promote environmental awareness among all our employees by providing information and training, and foster an atmosphere of environmental responsibility in the workplace.
- Strive to improve our environmental performance and continually seek to identify and adopt innovative means of achieving this.
To support these aims we will:
- Reuse and recycle materials wherever possible thereby reducing our waste streams.
- Avoid wherever possible the use of hazardous products using alternatives to minimise environmental impact and reduce the production of waste requiring specialist treatment.
- Support modes of transport by partners and staff that minimise environmental impact.
This policy will be regularly referred to in decision-making and internal management and operational meetings. It will be included during the induction of new staff and will be reviewed at regular intervals.
2. Diversity and Inclusion Statement
Our diversity and inclusion statement (DI) articulates our commitment to a diverse workforce and environment that respects individuals and their contributions irrespective of gender, race or other characteristics.
We are passionate about attracting, retaining and developing the most talented and skilled individuals from all backgrounds and we value people of all cultures, nationalities, races, religions, and ethnicities, regardless of characteristics such as gender, age, disability or sexual orientation.
We treat our clients, colleagues and partners fairly and with respect at all times.
We understand that diversity of people, perspectives, skills, experiences and ideas creates strength for our business and enables us to provide our clients with the best legal service possible.
As a responsible business and employer, it is important for us to act at all times with integrity, fairness and respect towards our employees, clients, suppliers and the wider community.
3. Legal and Professional
3.1. Professional Insurance
Seraphus has professional indemnity insurance as required by the Solicitors’ Indemnity Insurance Rules. The insurer is Catlin Underwriting Agencies Ltd (China Re Syndicate). The policy number is PI17CRE1109. The insurance was placed by Hera Indemnity Limited.
3.2. Regulators
Seraphus is regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (Membership No. 546810) and franchised by the Legal Aid Agency. Seraphus is committed to high quality legal advice and client care. We have a procedure in place which details how we handle complaints. If you are unhappy about any aspect of the service you have received or about the bill, please contact Christopher Desira in the first instance at info@seraphus.co.uk. If you are not satisfied with our overall handling of your complaint you can ask the Legal Ombudsman at the below address to consider the complaint. Normally, you will need to bring a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman within six months of receiving a final written response from us about your complaint. The Legal Ombudsman can be contacted at: www.legalombudsman.org.uk.
3.3. Company Information
Seraphus is the trading name of Seraphus Ltd and is registered in England & Wales (company no. 7001351)
3.4. Complaint Handling
Seraphus aims to provide an efficient and effective service that meets your needs. We want to ensure that the service we provide you meets your expectations and in a manner that upholds the rule of law, the proper administration of justice, upholds trust and confidence, with honesty, integrity, with dignity, and in the best interests of our clients. If you think that we are falling short of this standard in the way we are handling your issue, we need you to tell us straightaway, so that we can do something about it. We can resolve any issues with good communication.
Who can complain?
Anyone can complain, not just clients. Beneficiaries, third parties, potential clients, other professionals and suppliers, have a right to complain.
What to do if you are dissatisfied?
If you become dissatisfied with any aspect of our service, you can tell us verbally during the course of working with us or contact us by letter, telephone, email. If you want to raise a concern, you should first contact the person with conduct of your case (who will be named in our letters to you). If this person has not dealt with your concern, or if you are not happy to approach them, please contact this person’s supervisor who will also be named in your initial introduction letter.
Expressions of dissatisfaction can be made informally, through the course of working with us. Therefore we will be vigilant to what you tell us so that we can resolve any concerns promptly to avoid escalation of the matter. No expression of dissatisfaction is ignored, even if they appear minor.
How will we respond?
We will acknowledge your complaint within two working days of receipt. Our acknowledgment will be mirror the form that the complaint was made in.
Our acknowledgement will also confirm who will be dealing with your complaint and a summary of your complaint. If we need to do so, we may ask you for further information at this stage in order to identify the cause of any problems which you have complained. It is important that we understand what the complaint is about, and this stage may require a meeting to identify the full cause of the complaint before an investigation is started.
We will then investigate the matter as quickly as possible. The person handling the complaint will ask the person with conduct of your case for their response, and they may also contact you for a discussion.
We will confirm our conclusions and any proposals for resolving your complaint which can include offering any appropriate redress or correcting any unsatisfactory procedures. The conclusions will mirror the form that the complaint was made in.
The conclusions will be delivered within twenty working days of receiving your complaint, but it can take up to eight weeks to complete our reply. If we cannot reply within twenty working days, we will write telling so, explaining why, and saying when you can expect our response which must be delivered within eight weeks. We will include the staff member to contact if you are still dissatisfied, this will normally be an alternative supervisor or the Director.
If you are still dissatisfied?
If you remain dissatisfied after explaining the outcome of our investigation, you can ask us to review the outcome. Please send a letter or email in reply to our letter if you could like us to do this and the basis for your dissatisfaction. Please contact us within twenty working days of our conclusions. Send this to the staff member named in the letter.
Within twenty working days of hearing from you, we will write to you with the results of the review. We will speak to you until we have full considered the complaint, made a final decision, offered remedies, if appropriate, and any review has been completed.
Escalating your complaint
If you are not satisfied with the outcome of our review you can ask the Legal Ombudsman at the below contact details to consider the complaint. The Legal Ombudsman will normally only consider a complaint after you have complained to us first and we have failed to resolve the complaint to your satisfaction.
Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6167, Slough, SL1 0EH
Telephone: 0300 555 0333
Website: www.legalombudsman.org.uk
E-mail: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
You will need to bring a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman within either of the following:
- One year of the problem happening or one year from when you found out about it; and
- You are referring your complaint within six months of our final response.
Find out how the Legal Ombudsman could help you.
The role of our regulatory body
Because we are a company that provides immigration advice, you have the additional safeguards provided by our regulatory body, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). You are entitled to refer your complaint at any time to our regulatory body if you think we have breached the SRA Principles, meaning we have not acted:
- in a way that upholds the constitutional principle of the rule of law, and the proper administration of justice
- in a way that upholds public trust and confidence in the solicitors’ profession and in legal services provided by authorised persons
- with independence
- with honesty
- with integrity
- in a way that encourages equality, diversity and inclusion
- in the best interests of each client.
If you think we have not breached the SRA Principles, but you want to escalate your complaint, you should do so by contacting the Legal Ombudsman.
Questions about fees and costs
For private Matters please contact us promptly if you have any questions about an invoice or request for interim payment.
How you can help us provide a quality service
Please keep us up to date with new information and changes, even if you are not sure whether these will affect your Matter. Most importantly, please tell us if your contact details change.
The Solicitors Regulation Authority could help you if you think a solicitor might be dishonest or you have concerns about their behaviour. Examples include:
- Shutting down the law firm without telling you.
- Dishonesty or deliberately overcharging you.
- Taking or losing your money.
- Treating you unfairly because of your age, a disability or other characteristic.
Find out how to report a solicitor or firm to the SRA
4. Disclamer
Whilst we make every effort to keep the information on our website accurate, you must satisfy yourself on these matters before using the information on our site. The materials contained on our website are provided for general information purposes only and do not constitute legal or other professional advice. Before taking any action on a specific legal problem you should obtain guidance from a professional advisor.
We add links from our website to other websites to help you find more information related to our services. However, Seraphus cannot be held responsible for the content of any external websites. This is because we do not produce or maintain them, we cannot change them, and they can be changed without our knowledge or agreement. Some of our external links may be to websites which also offer commercial services. The inclusion of which should not be understood to be an endorsement of that website or their products / services. We do not enter into reciprocal linking arrangements.
Seraphus accepts no liability for loss which may arise from reliance on information contained in this site, or any other site linked to this site.