Complaints Handling Policy

1. Purpose

Onsagers UK Ltd. and the wider Onsagers group has a reputation for providing high quality professional services and we continuously strive to meet the individual needs of all our clients, ensuring that you are fully satisfied with our services. However, we recognise that it is possible that circumstances may occur under which you feel like our services fall short and, in that event, we need you to inform us. In line with IPReg requirements Onsagers UK
Ltd. provides all clients with this Complaints Handling Policy, documenting how we aim to resolve complaints and making you aware of the regulatory bodies that can in some circumstances take up issues on your behalf.

2. Informal Process

In the first place you should inform your usual main contact point / Key Account Manager (if appointed) about the issue as soon as possible after you feel you have cause for concern. We will discuss the issues with you and attempt to resolve the matter accordingly. If this satisfies you then the issue will be dropped, and no formal complaint will be recorded. If this process does not provide a satisfactory outcome, then you may consider moving on to a more formal process as set out below. This should be done no later than four weeks after the date on which you reject a resolution via the informal process.

3. Formal Process

Please set out your complaint in writing and send the details to our UK Head of Legal Practice (HoLP currently Sebastian Vincent – sebastian.vincent@onsagers.com). We aim to send you an acknowledgement of receipt of your complaint within three working days of receiving it. Your written complaint should include details of the case/matter (e.g. using our reference number or an official number for the IP rights concerned), what we agreed to do,
how we failed to meet your expectations, and what resolution you propose. For complaints about our work or fees then according to IPReg’s Code of Conduct we aim to resolve matters
within eight (8) weeks from receiving full details of the formal complaint.

We will investigate your complaint, which will typically involve the HoLP working together with one of our department managers and/or another of the UK regulated patent attorneys who will review the complaint and speak to the attorney and other staff who handled the matter in question. We will invite you to a meeting (potentially via video conference or telephone) to discuss and hopefully resolve your complaint. We will aim to have the meeting within twenty-one (21) days of sending you the acknowledgement of receipt of your complaint.

Within seven days of the meeting, or if you do not wish to attend a meeting within twenty-eight (28) days of the acknowledgement of receipt, we will write to you with a written review to confirm what took place and set out any proposed solutions including, if appropriate, what has been agreed with you.

4. Review stage

At this stage, if you remain dissatisfied, you should contact us again within fourteen (14) days of receiving our written review and request further consideration of the matter. This should be done in writing, and you should include any added evidence or explanation you feel is necessary to challenge or dispute our findings, details of why the proposed resolution is not satisfactory and/or why you maintain that we still do not meet your expectations, and details
of any alternative resolution that you are seeking.

The matter will be reconsidered, potentially with involvement of additional people from within Onsagers (who were not involved with the matter) and/or with involvement of people from outside of Onsagers. We will write to you within twenty-one (21) days of receiving your request for a review, confirming our final position on your complaint and explaining our reasons for said position. As noted above our target is to resolve complaints about our work
or fees within eight (8) weeks from the formal complaint and therefore depending on the earlier timeline the period for our response this phase may be shortened accordingly.

5. Resolution via the Legal Ombudsman/IPReg

If you are still not satisfied, and you are an individual, a beneficiary of an estate, a charity or trust, a micro-enterprise or other entity you are able to refer under the Legal Ombudsman’s Scheme Rules, then you can contact the Legal Ombudsman with your complaint. For further information, you can visit the Legal Ombudsman’s website at: http://www.legalombudsman.org.uk/. Please note that you are required to bring the complaint to us before referral to the Legal Ombudsman.

Additionally/alternatively, you may contact IPReg in relation to breaches by us of any of IPReg’s regulatory arrangements or other professional obligations. Details of how to make a complaint via IPReg are provided on their website at https://ipreg.org.uk/if-things-go-wrong/making-complaint.

v2. January 2025