Complaints Handling Policy

Introduction and Commitment

Bernicker Law PLLC is committed to providing high-quality legal services to all our clients. We recognize that complaints can highlight areas for improvement in our practice, and we are committed to handling all complaints promptly, fairly, and free of charge.

This policy sets out our procedure for handling complaints from clients, prospective clients, and in certain circumstances, non-clients. We aim to resolve complaints at the earliest opportunity and learn from them to improve our services.

Scope and Application

This complaints policy applies to:

• Current clients: Those who have formally engaged our services.
• Former clients: Those who have previously used our services.
• Prospective clients: Those who have sought legal services from us but may not have formally engaged our services.
• Non-clients: Those who have neither engaged our services nor sought to do so, including:
  • Parties to, or other participants in, a proceeding in which one of us is an arbitrator.
  • Beneficiaries of estates or trusts where we act for the personal representative or trustee.
  • Opposing parties in transactions or litigation where appropriate.
  • Any person affected by our legal services.
  • Third parties who have suffered detriment as a result of our actions.
  • Data subjects whose information we control.

What is a Complaint?

A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction about our services, charges, or the conduct of our staff, whether made orally or in writing. Complaints might concern, among other things:

• The quality of our legal services
• Our charges or billing practices
• Delays in handling your matter
• Poor communication
• The conduct or behavior of our staff
• Our failure to follow proper procedures

How to Make a Complaint

Initial Contact

Complaints can be made by email to complaints@bernicker.law or by mail to:

Bernicker Law PLLC
ATTN: Complaints Handling
3202 McKnight East Dr., PMB 294
Pittsburgh, PA 15237
United States of America

Information to Include

When making a complaint, please provide:

• Your name and contact details
• Details of the matter you are complaining about
• What you believe went wrong
• What outcome you are seeking
• Any relevant dates and documentation

Who Handles Complaints

Complaints about Brendan Bernicker will be handled by Clarissa Bernicker, and complaints about Clarissa Bernicker will be handled by Brendan Bernicker.

Given that our firm only has two lawyers, and given that we are married to one another, we recognize that the person handling the complaint will not be truly independent of the person complained about. However, we are committed to:

• Approaching every complaint with an open mind
• Treating each complainant as an individual
• Considering each complaint on its merits
• Conducting thorough and fair investigations
• Maintaining detailed written records of our investigation process

Where a complaint concerns both partners, we will consider engaging an external lawyer to review the complaint independently. Other than in exceptional circumstances, however, we expect that one or the other of us will handle all complaints, even those that concern both of us. We have determined that this will generally be appropriate, given that sole practitioners are expected to consider complaints about their own conduct and that those dissatisfied with our internal handling of their complaint have rights to seek external review as outlined below.

Our Complaints Handling Process

Acknowledgment

We will acknowledge your complaint within 2 working days of receipt, providing:

• Confirmation that we have received your complaint
• The name of the person handling your complaint
• A realistic timetable for our response
• Information about what to expect during the process
• Confirmation that you will not be charged for our complaints handling

Investigation

We will:

• Investigate your complaint thoroughly and impartially
• Review all relevant files and documentation
• Speak with relevant staff members
• Consider your complaint on its merits
• Keep written records of our investigation

Response Timeline

We will provide a full written response to your complaint within 8 weeks of receiving it. If we need more time, we will contact you to explain why and provide a revised timeline.

Our Response

Our response will include:

• A summary of your complaint
• Our findings following investigation
• Our decision on whether the complaint is upheld
• If upheld, what we will do to put matters right
• Any lessons learned and changes we will make
• Information about your right to refer the matter to the Legal Ombudsman if you remain dissatisfied

Remedies and Redress

Where we find that your complaint is justified, we may offer one or more of the following remedies:

• An apology
• A full or partial refund of fees paid
• A reduction in charges
• Correcting any errors at no charge
• Compensation for losses caused by our error
• Taking steps to complete work or improve our service

External Review Options

You have several options for complaining about us to independent third parties. What those options are depends on whether you engaged us in our capacity as lawyers in the United States or whether you engaged Brendan Bernicker's services as a Solicitor of the Senior Courts of England & Wales. If you are a current or former client, your lawyer-client contract with Bernicker Law PLLC will tell you which capacity you engaged us in.

These options for making complaints are separate from any rights you may have to sue the firm or its lawyers. We cannot advise you on whether or how to do that, and encourage you to seek advice from a qualified legal professional.

Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)

Regardless of whether your complaint relates to actions taken in our capacities as lawyers in the United States or Brendan Bernicker's capacity as a solicitor, if our complaints procedure has been exhausted and we cannot settle your complaint, we will inform you of:

• The name and website of an appropriate Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) provider
• Whether we agree to use such a scheme

Complaints Against Us as Lawyers in the United States

The disciplinary authorities to whom you can complain about our conduct are set out below:

Additionally, if your complaint relates to our conduct in a case before a federal court or agency, you may be able to complain to that court or agency about us. We will provide information about how to complain to a particular court or agency on request.

Complaints Against Brendan Bernicker as a Solicitor

If your complaint concerns actions taken by, or that ought to have been taken by, Brendan Bernicker in his capacity as a Solicitor of England & Wales, you have the following external review options:

Legal Ombudsman

If you are not satisfied with our response, or if we have not responded within 8 weeks, you may refer your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman, provided:

• You refer your complaint within 6 months of our final response, or
• Within 6 months of the act or omission you are complaining about, or
• Within 6 months of when you should reasonably have known there was cause for complaint

Website: www.legalombudsman.org.uk
Telephone: +44 0300 555 0333
Post: Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton, WV1 9WJ, UK

Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA)

You may also report serious misconduct to the SRA:

Website: www.sra.org.uk
Telephone: +44 0370 606 2555
Email: contactcentre@sra.org.uk
Post: Solicitors Regulation Authority, The Cube, 199 Wharfside Street, Birmingham, B1 1RN, UK

Complaints Against Brendan Bernicker as an Arbitrator

If you have a complaint regarding Brendan Bernicker's actions as an arbitrator, you may report him to the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (Ciarb), of which he is a Member (MCIArb). Complaints are handled by Ciarb's Professional Conduct Committee:

Website: www.ciarb.org
Telephone: +44 (0)20 7421 7447
Contact: Ciarb Online Contact Form

Complaints Against Brendan Bernicker as an Unregistered Barrister

Brendan Bernicker was called to the bar of England & Wales in July 2025 by the Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn. He has elected not to request, and does not hold, a practicing certificate as a barrister. He is not listed on the register of practicing barristers and is not entitled to practice as a barrister.

If you are complaining about legal services provided by Brendan Bernicker, they were not provided as a barrister. Instead, they were likely provided in his capacity as a solicitor or in his capacity as a lawyer in the United States.

That said, if you have any complaints against, or concerns about, Brendan Bernicker's compliance with the rules governing unregistered barristers, you may direct them to the Bar Standards Board:

Website: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk
Telephone: +44 020 7611 1444
Email: contactus@barstandardsboard.org.uk
Post: The Bar Standards Board, 289-293 High Holborn, London, WC1V 7HZ, UK

Record Keeping and Monitoring

We maintain records of all complaints we receive, including the details of the complaint and complainant, our investigation and findings, our response and any remedies offered, and the outcome and any lessons learned. We regularly review complaints to identify trends and areas for improvement in our services.