---
kind: "section"
citation: "45 C.F.R. § 1621.4"
title: "45"
number: "1621.4"
heading: "Complaints by clients about manner or quality of legal assistance."
url: "https://uscodex.org/cfr/45/1621.4"
---

# §1621.4. Complaints by clients about manner or quality of legal assistance.

- (a) A recipient shall establish procedures for the review of complaints by clients about the manner or quality of legal assistance that has been rendered by the recipient to the client.
- (b) The procedures shall be designed to foster effective communications between the recipient and the complaining client and, at a minimum, provide:
  - (1) A method for providing a client, at the time the person is accepted as a client or as soon thereafter as is practical, with adequate notice of the complaint procedures and how to make a complaint;
  - (2) For prompt consideration of each complaint by the Executive Director or the Executive Director's designee,
  - (3) An opportunity for the complainant, if the Executive Director or the Executive Director's designee is unable to resolve the matter, to submit an oral or written statement to a grievance committee established by the governing body as required by [§ 1621.2](/cfr/45/1621.2.md) of this Part. The procedures shall also: provide that the opportunity to submit an oral statement may be accomplished in person, by teleconference, or through some other reasonable alternative; permit a complainant to be accompanied by another person who may speak on that complainant's behalf; and provide that, upon request of the complainant, the recipient shall transcribe a brief written statement, dictated by the complainant for inclusion in the recipient's complaint file.
- (c) Complaints received from clients about the manner or quality of legal assistance that has been rendered by a private attorney pursuant to the recipient's private attorney involvement program under [45 CFR Part 1614](/cfr/45/part1614.md) shall be processed in a manner consistent with its responsibilities under [45 CFR § 1614.3(d)(3)](/cfr/45/1614.3.md?p=d-3) and with applicable state or local rules of professional responsibility.
- (d) A file containing every complaint and a statement of its disposition shall be preserved for examination by LSC. The file shall include any written statement submitted by the complainant or transcribed by the recipient from a complainant's oral statement.

## Notes

### Authority

Authority: Sec. 1006(b)(1), 42 U.S.C. 2996e(b)(1); sec. 1006(b)(3), 42 U.S.C. 2996e(b)(3); sec. 1007(a)(1), 42 U.S.C. 2996f(a)(1).

### Source

Source: 72 FR 3954, Jan. 29, 2007, unless otherwise noted.