Legal Status:
Bristows LLP is a firm of solicitors and operates as a limited liability partnership governed by English law (Registered Number OC358808). All references to Bristows on this website are references to Bristows LLP.
In Brussels we practise through Bristows LLP, in the form of an SRA registered branch (SRA branch number: 658820).
Regulator:
Bristows LLP is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA Number 591711)
Brussels partners are solicitors of England and Wales, regulated by the SRA. They are also either admitted within Belgium to practise as members of either the Brussels Bar List A (Belgian lawyers), List E (EU lawyers) or List B (non-EU lawyers) and are registered with the Flemish Bar, the Nederlandse Orde van Advocaten bij de Balie te Brussel ("NOAB").
Copies of the Order of Flemish Bars (Orde Van Vlaamse Balies) and NOAB’s rules of professional conduct are available on NOAB's website.
Our Trade Mark Attorneys are regulated by the Intellectual Property Regulation Board.
VAT Number:
Bristows LLP's VAT Number is GB 243 2048 94
Our Belgian VAT Number is BE 0695 6140 21
Professional Liability Insurance:
Bristows LLP has worldwide professional liability insurance. Our primary insurer is Travelers Insurance Designated Activity Company (Non XIS), One Creechurch Place, Creechurch Lane, London, EC3A 5AF.
All lawyers registered with NOAB are additionally covered by professional indemnity insurance provided by NOAB.
Complaints Information:
We endeavour to provide the highest quality service. However, if at any point you become unhappy or concerned about the service we have provided then you should inform us immediately, so that we can do our best to resolve the problem.
In the first instance you should contact the partner who is supervising the relevant matter to discuss your concerns and we will do our best to resolve any issues at this stage. If you would like to make a formal complaint, then you can read our full complaints procedure here. Making a complaint will not affect how we handle your matter.
If you are concerned about the way in which we have behaved, you can also contact our regulator, The Solicitors Regulation Authority at www.sra.org.uk/consumers/problems/report-solicitor.
If we cannot resolve your complaint, the Legal Ombudsman may be able to help you. In broad terms, the Legal Ombudsman deals with complaints from members of the public, very small businesses, charities, clubs and trusts. They will look at your complaint independently and it will not affect how we handle your matter. Before accepting a complaint for investigation, the Legal Ombudsman will check that you have tried to resolve your complaint with us first. Please note: any complaint to the Legal Ombudsman must ordinarily be made within both of the following time limits:
- within six months of the date we provide you with a final written response to your compliant; and
- within six years from the date when the act or omission complained of took place or, if later, three years from when you should reasonably have known there was cause for complaint.
If you would like more information about the Legal Ombudsman, please contact them at:
Website: www.legalombudsman.org.uk
Call: 0300 555 0333 between 9am to 5pm
Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
Legal Ombudsman PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton, WV1 9WJ
Insurance Distribution Activities:
Bristows LLP is an ancillary insurance intermediary but is not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority. Bristows LLP is included on the register maintained by the Financial Conduct Authority so that Bristows LLP can carry on insurance distribution activity, which is broadly the advising on, selling and administration of insurance contracts. The Solicitors Regulation Authority regulates this part of Bristows LLP’s business, including arrangements for complaints or redress if something goes wrong. The register can be accessed via the Financial Conduct Authority website at www.fca.org.uk/register.
Third Party Accounts:
The Brussels office does not as a matter of course hold money on behalf of clients. In the event that any client were to ask that money be held on their behalf, this would be held in a client account with the firm’s bankers in London. Interest would be paid on that money in accordance with the London Office’s policy, as set out here.
Price Transparency Rules:
In December 2018, the Solicitors Regulation Authority introduced new Transparency Rules. These rules require law firms regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority to publish on their websites their fees for carrying out certain categories of work which they advertise or promote. We do not advertise or promote our capacity to carry out any of the categories of work covered by the rules. Accordingly, we do not publish our fees for those categories of work.
Preventing the Facilitation of Tax Evasion:
Bristows recognises that tax evasion is a major global issue, and is very damaging to the societies in which it occurs. As a firm, it is our policy to conduct all of our business in an honest and ethical manner. We take a zero-tolerance approach to facilitation of tax evasion, whether under UK law or under the law of any other country. We will uphold all laws relevant to countering tax evasion, including the Criminal Finances Act 2017 (“CFA 2017”). We will not tolerate any of our partners, employees, agents, business partners or other “associated persons” (as defined for in CFA 2017) knowingly assisting or encouraging tax evasion by any of the clients, suppliers or others that we do business with anywhere in the world. The firm has a policy, endorsed by senior management, detailing its approach to preventing the facilitation of tax evasion with which all partners, employees, agents, business partners or other associated persons must comply.
Bristows' Slavery and Human Trafficking Statements: