Complaint Policy

Introduction

In operations and services done by Castilho International Law Firm's employees, are always used methodologies that favor the best way to follow the instructions of its Clients. The existence of a Complaint Policy constitutes a factor of credibility for the company. By allowing to evaluate any complaint, dissatisfaction or suggestion received from customers, it constitutes a recovery factor of satisfaction, quality and image, and a mitigator of reputational risk.

A Complaint Policy should make it possible to assess the complainant's reason, the company's action, and identify operational errors, processes or the design of products or services, in order to assess the possibility of generating continuous improvement actions.

Principles of the complaint policy

A. Castilho International Law Firm's clients are granted the unrestricted opportunity to submit complaints about the action, from its employees. Castilho International Law Firm will also receive expressions of dissatisfaction or suggestions for improvement, which will have the same consideration as any complaint.

B. Complaints (or manifestations of dissatisfaction, or suggestions) may be submitted to the company by any usual means, without form requirements and free of charge.

C. Castilho International Law Firm shall disseminate, in an extended manner, the channels available for submitting complaints, in particular in service contracts, on its website and, per law, in its physical facilities, identifying the supervisory entities that will be the subject of communication, namely, Bar Association, and use of the Complaints Book.

D. All complaints must be answered by Castilho International Law Firm to the claimants, within 30 days and in simple and clear language, easy to understand for customers, and by any means of written support addressed to the complainant (via post or email, if the complainant has provided the e-mail data). During the period between the submission of the complaint and the issuance of the answer, Castilho International Law Firm shall communicate with the customer, confirming its receipt and informing about its status. In complex situations where it is not possible to meet the above deadline, Castilho International Law Firm sends the Client a status, justifying the delay in the response.

E. Castilho International Law Firm will ensure separation between the analysis and response to complaints received, and the areas or subject of a complaint, seeking independent treatment about the area complained of, and that is transparent, objective and balanced, of the complaints received. 

Identification of channels for filing complaints

Customer and non-customer complaints may be submitted to Castilho International Law Firm through the following channels:

By post: Tavares Castilho, Rodrigues e Associados, Sociedade de Advogados, SP RL - Rua dos Marnotos n8 1andar, 3800-220 Aveiro, Portugal

By email: info@castilhoadvogados.com

By telephone: (+351) 234 482 214

Through website: www. castilhoadvogados.com

Face-to-face: With the administrative assistant or using to the Complaints Book, during functioning hours

By means of a consumer conflicts mediator

By direct and non-preclusive recourse to the Regulatory Authority, Bar Association (Ordem dos Advogados).

At the time of submission of the complaint, the customer may view a copy of this Policy, and get a clear idea of the mechanisms at its disposal and the subsequent process. 

Process

The company will seek, for each complaint, to carry out its assessment, seeking to identify possible failures in its origin, assess possible damages, and determine the need for damage correction and repair measures.

The company's position concerning each case will be formally communicated to the complainant.

Each complaint, and decision, constitute a process, which will be kept, accessible to supervisory entities, for the legally prescribed time limits.

Castilho International Law Firm keeps a record of all complaints received, with the corresponding response given to them, or, in case of the time limit and pending the response, with the indication of the status of the proceedings. Such file shall be maintained for a legally prescribed period.

The Compliance Department monitors daily with the interlocutors of Castilho International Law Firm responsible for responding to complaints, the complaints that are being received and as well as the analysis made to them, the treatment and their responses.

Review and Approval

Annually, based on information received by the Compliance Department, a report is produced on the implementation and effectiveness of the general framework for the control of investment services and activities, on the risks that have been identified and on the treatment of complaints, as well as on the corrective measures taken or to be taken, subsequently submitted for approval by the management.

Based on the report produced, Castilho International Law Firm will make appropriate adjustments on the internal organization and the complaints handling process, updating and reviewing this Complaint Policy at least annually.

The principles of the Complaint Policy and the Internal Regulations on the handling of complaints are approved and annually review by the Executive Board of Directors.

Litigation Resolution

In the event of a Consumer Dispute, the Customer may use:

CAL - Centro de Arbitragem de Litígios Civis, Comerciais e Administrativos da Ordem dos Advogados