Co-operating with MPS
MPS cannot take any steps on the practitioner’s behalf without his or her agreement
Members are required (under 40(6) of the Memorandum and Articles of Association) to co-operate fully with us, and to accept our considered advice and guidance when we are assisting with a case on their behalf. This includes choice of legal representation. Members should provide information promptly when asked to do so, and be available for any meetings that may be necessary in the proper management of the case.
MPS cannot take any steps on the practitioner’s behalf without his or her agreement. However, assistance is dependent upon the continuing co-operation of the member and the acceptance of appropriate advice.
Where documents or instructions are needed, or meetings required, the member’s input is clearly essential, otherwise the legal team is left without instructions and is unable to act on the member’s behalf.
Where a member has acted contrary to the advice given by MPS, either generally or in the specific circumstances of a case, a member may be asked to contribute an amount towards the total costs of conducting the case.
Members’ rights
Data protection
Our aim is to resolve concerns to members’ satisfaction and, by learning any lessons from complaints, to improve our service in the future
Because of the nature of our work, we hold a great deal of sensitive personal information and we take the security of this information very seriously. Our computer systems and paper records are physically protected at all times; staff only have access to information on a need-to-know basis, and they are all subject to a stringent confidentiality policy. We will not give out personal information about members to third parties without consent.
Complaints procedure
If members feel MPS could have done better or there is something they believe we should be doing differently, we encourage correspondence. Our aim is to resolve concerns to members’ satisfaction and learn any lessons from complaints in order to improve our service in the future.
We will try to resolve complaints as soon as possible. If a complaint is complex, we will send the member an acknowledgement within three working days, with a commitment to give a full response within four weeks.
If, for any reason, this timetable cannot be met, we will explain why. If possible, the complaint should be addressed directly to the individual member of staff that the member was dealing with. The staff member will attempt to resolve the complaint to a satisfactory level quickly and fairly. Alternatively, members can raise concerns in writing or by telephone to the head of the department concerned.
All complaints will be treated seriously, fairly and in confidence, whether they are made in person, by telephone or in writing.