Legal
Grievance Redressal Policy
Last updated
If something we have done falls short, we would rather hear it than not. This policy explains who may complain, how to do it, what we will do, how long it will take, and what to do if our answer does not satisfy you.
Nothing in this policy limits any right or remedy available to you in law.
1. Who may complain, and about what
1.1 A complaint may be made by a client, by a former client, by a person who applied for a position with us, by a person whose personal data we hold, or by anyone else affected by something we have done or failed to do.
1.2 It may concern the quality or timeliness of our work, our conduct or communication, an invoice, the handling of personal data, the accessibility of this website, or anything else connected with the firm.
2. How to raise a complaint
2.1 Write to work@standinglawyers.com with the word Complaint in the subject line. You may also telephone +91 63766 28978, though we will ask you to confirm the substance in writing so that there is no dispute later about what was said.
2.2 Please tell us what happened, when, which matter or which part of this website it concerns, who you dealt with if relevant, and what outcome you are looking for. You do not need to use any particular form of words, and you do not need a lawyer to complain about a lawyer.
2.3 There is no fee for making a complaint, and making one will not affect how your matter is handled.
3. Who will deal with it
3.1 Complaints are received by the Grievance Officer, Mohit Sharma, Advocate, the proprietor of the firm, whose contact details are in clause 2.1.
3.2 Where it is possible in a practice of this size, a complaint is reviewed by someone who was not responsible for the matter complained about. Where that is not possible, we say so openly, because a complaint reviewed by its own subject is a limitation the complainant is entitled to know about when deciding whether to escalate.
4. What we will do, and when
| Stage | Time |
|---|---|
| We acknowledge your complaint in writing | Within three working days of receipt |
| We tell you if we need anything further from you in order to investigate | Within the same three working days wherever possible |
| We write to you with our findings, our reasons, and what we propose to do | Within fifteen working days of receipt |
| Where an investigation cannot be completed in that time, we tell you why and when to expect our answer | Before the fifteen working days expire |
| A grievance concerning personal data is redressed | Within one month of receipt, being the period Rule 5(9) of the SPDI Rules, 2011 prescribes |
4.1 Where we have got something wrong we will say so plainly, explain what happened, tell you what we are doing to prevent it recurring, and confirm any correction to an invoice or any refund due under our Fee and Refund Policy.
4.2 Where we do not accept that we have got something wrong, we will explain why, and set out the material we relied on, so that you can decide what to do next on an informed basis.
5. If our answer does not resolve it
5.1 You may escalate, and the appropriate route depends on the nature of the complaint.
5.2 Professional conduct. A complaint that an advocate has been guilty of professional or other misconduct may be made to the State Bar Council with which the advocate is enrolled, under section 35 of the Advocates Act, 1961. The State Bar Council may refer the complaint to its Disciplinary Committee. We will provide our enrolment particulars on request.
5.3 Personal data. A grievance about personal data may be escalated as described in clause 11.3 of our Privacy Policy, which explains the route to the Data Protection Board of India and the requirement to exhaust our own grievance mechanism first.
5.4 The courts. Nothing in this policy affects your right to pursue any remedy available to you before a court of competent jurisdiction, including a civil claim for negligence or breach of duty.
5.5 A complaint about an institution rather than about us. These are different things and clients sometimes come to us having confused them. If your complaint is that a bank, an insurer, a company, a registrar or a fund has mishandled your claim, the route is against that institution and not through this policy. Each of the sectors we work in has its own free machinery: the banking ombudsman scheme administered by the Reserve Bank of India, the insurance ombudsman, the investor grievance mechanism operated by the Securities and Exchange Board of India for listed companies and registrars, and the grievance machinery of the Employees Provident Fund Organisation. Each ordinarily requires you to have complained to the institution first and given it time to answer.
5.6 We will tell you which of those fits, and help you use it, as part of the matter we are acting on. We mention it here so that nobody spends months complaining in the wrong direction.
5.7 A note on consumer forums, because clients ask. In Bar of Indian Lawyers v. D.K. Gandhi, decided on 14 May 2024, the Supreme Court of India held that a complaint alleging deficiency in service against advocates practising the legal profession is not maintainable under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, on the footing that the legal profession is sui generis and an engagement of an advocate is a contract of personal service. A review was declined in February 2025.
5.8 We mention it so that nobody loses time in the wrong forum. The Court was explicit that this does not put advocates beyond accountability: it confirmed that a client may bring a civil suit for negligence or breach of duty, and that the disciplinary machinery of the Bar Councils under the Advocates Act, 1961 remains available. If you are unsure which route fits your complaint, say so and we will tell you, even where the answer is adverse to us.
6. Records, and what we do with them
6.1 Every complaint, its investigation and its outcome are recorded, and the records are reviewed periodically so that a pattern is visible rather than forgotten.
6.2 Complaint records are held under our Data Protection and Information Security Policy and are used only for handling the complaint, for improving the firm's practice, and for responding to any regulator entitled to ask.
6.3 We do not retaliate against anyone for making a complaint in good faith, and we do not require a complainant to keep the fact of a complaint confidential.
Effect, review and contact
A This policy takes effect on 7 August 2026 and replaces any earlier version of it published on this website. The version published here is the operative version at any given time.
B We review this policy at least once a year, and additionally whenever the law, our systems or our practice changes in a way that affects it. Where a change is material we will say so on this page and, where the change concerns personal data and we hold a means of reaching you, we will tell you directly.
C Questions about this policy, and any request or complaint arising from it, should be sent to work@standinglawyers.com, marked for the attention of the Grievance Officer where it is a complaint. We can also be reached on +91 63766 28978.