Complaint Handling Policy
What if something goes wrong?
I am committed to providing you with a high-quality legal service to all my clients. However I acknowledge that I may not always get it right, so if something has gone wrong, including in relation to my charges, I need you to tell me. This will help me improve the standards of service.
How do I make a complaint?
If you have a complaint, in the first instance discuss this with me, you can do this either by e-mail or by telephone. If you wish to call me, please email me first and I will provide a telephone number for you:
Using the contact form on the website: Contact → Direct Access Barrister
E-mail: bloodhalvorsen [at] gmail.com
Write to me: 5 St John’s Lane, London, United Kingdom, EC1M 4BH
If this does not resolve matters or you feel unable to discuss matter with the person handling your case, in the first instance you should contact CRCS Legal
Address: 124 City Road, London EC1V 2NX
Telephone: 0330 2210511
Email: enquiries@crcslegal.com
Your complaint will be acknowledged within 5 working days. I will either deal with the complaint or decide to outsource the complaint to CRCS Legal Ltd within that 5 working day period.
What will happen next if the matter is passed to CRCS Legal?
A Complaint Manager from CRCS Legal Ltd will contact you either in writing, e-mail or telephone to confirm receipt of your complaint and to set out an understanding of your concerns.
You may be asked to provide any further comments, or further information, and you will be asked to confirm that the understanding is correct. You will also be asked how you would like to resolve your complaint. This will happen within 5 working days of CRCS Legal Ltd receiving the complaint from either you directly or me if I have chosen to outsource the complaint.
If you do not confirm that the understanding is correct within 7 days, it will be assumed that the summary is correct, and the Complaint Manager will move to the next stage.
The Complaint Manager will request a copy of your file for review.
The Complaint Manager may also speak with the me, if it is necessary to address your concerns and a review of your file will be undertaken. This action will take place within 21 working days of your providing further information, clarification that the summary is correct or you have not respond to the initial letter.
The Complaint Manager will then write to you setting out their view of your complaint and making any proposal for resolution, within 7 working days of completing the review.
At that stage the file in respect of your complaint will be closed.
NB The timescales are subject to the Complaint Manager’s availability, for example they may have to change to allow for holiday or absence from the office. If the timescale has to change you will be advised accordingly.
What will happen if the complaint is handled by Ashley Blood-Halvorsen?
The timescales set out above will be adhered to by me.
What will it cost?
There will be no charge to you in handling your complaint. If you have a bill that is outstanding with me, making a complaint will not have any effect on that. This may still be pursued in accordance with my recovery procedure and interest may be charged in line with the Terms of Business.
What to do if we cannot resolve your complaint
We have 8 weeks in which to deal with your complaint. If we do not deal with it within this timeframe or if you still remain unhappy, you can raise your concerns with The Legal Ombudsman whose contact details are as follows:
Legal Ombudsman
PO Box 6806
Wolverhampton
WV1 9WJ
Tel: 0300 555 0333
Relay Uk: 18001 0330 555 0333
How To Complain | Legal Ombudsman
A referral must be made to The Legal Ombudsman within 6 months of the date of the letter confirming the investigation has come to an end and your file is closed in relation to the complaint that has been dealt with. The Ombudsman expects complaints to be referred to them within one year of the act or omission complained of or within one year of you realising there was a concern.
Alternative complaints bodies (such as Promediate) exist which are able to deal with complaints about legal services should both you and we wish to use such a scheme, however, we would not agree to using an alternative complaint body as we believe that The Legal Ombudsman is the appropriate forum to deal with any complaint.
You can find information on decisions The Legal Ombudsman has made here:
Ombudsman decision data | Legal Ombudsman
What to do if you are unhappy with our behaviour?
I am regulated by The Bar Standards Board. If you have any concerns about my behaviour you can contact them as follows:
Reporting concerns about barristers
You can also find Barristers details on the Barristers Register here:
15 June 2026
Originally Posted:
Last Revised: