Miners win negligence payouts from solicitors over coal health claims – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted August 7th, 2009 in compensation, industrial injuries, miners, negligence, news, solicitors by sally

“Injured miners who successfully sued their former solicitors for under-settling coal health compensation claims have won tens of thousands of pounds in settlements, it has emerged.”

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 6th August 2009

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

News focus: miners’ compensation – Law Society’s Gazette

“The work that solicitors have done under the mineworkers’ compensation scheme has attracted the attention of press, parliament and the public ever since details of wrongdoing began to emerge earlier this decade. But the debate has focused on two controversies: the millions of pounds that solicitors have earned, and the deductions that some solicitors made from miners’ compensation.”

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 30th July 2009

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Struck off: lawyer who made £13m from sick miners – The Times

“A former television presenter who became one of Britain’s highest-earning solicitors has been struck off for ‘disgraceful’ misconduct in his handling of sick miners’ compensation claims.”

Full story

The Times, 1st May 2009

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Six lawyers at Raleys guilty of misconduct over £7m miners’ awards – The Times

“Three solicitors whose deal with Arthur Scargill led their firm to slice £7.7 million from compensation awards to sick coalminers were suspended yesterday for professional misconduct.”

Full story

The Times, 18th February 2009

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Miners’ solicitors breached code – BBC News

“Solicitors in South Yorkshire deliberately breached a code of conduct to collect £32m in fees from miners’ compensation claims, a tribunal ruled.”

Full story

BBC News, 17th February 2009

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Government ‘repeating mistakes’ by fighting miners in court – The Guardian

Posted January 12th, 2009 in claims management, fees, industrial injuries, law firms, miners, news by sally

“The government is spending millions of pounds in legal fees fighting the claims of sick miners in a move that lawyers say will recreate the mistakes of the past.”

Full story

The Guardian, 12th January 2009

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

£6m of sick miners’ awards went to Arthur Scargill’s union – The Times

Posted January 7th, 2009 in compensation, industrial injuries, miners, news, trade unions by sally

“Arthur Scargill’s trade union was paid more than £6 million by a firm of solicitors that deducted the money from compensation awarded to sick miners for industrial disease, a tribunal was told.”

Full story

The Times, 7th January 2009

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

More solicitors to face tribunal over coalminers’ scandal – The Times

“Solicitors across Britain are bracing themselves for further sanctions over the coalminers’ compensation scandal that led to two lawyers being struck off for dishonesty.”

Full story

The Times, 13th December 2008

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Struck off: lawyers who milked sick miners for millions – The Independent

“A solicitor who became Britain’s richest lawyer was yesterday struck off after being found guilty of creaming millions of pounds from compensation paid to sick miners. Jim Beresford, 58, and his partner Douglas Smith, 52, were also ordered to pay substantial costs for serious professional misconduct over the handling of personal injury claims made under a compensation scheme for miners suffering coal dust-related diseases and other injuries.”

Full story

The Independent, 12th December 2008

Source: www.independent.co.uk

We did nothing wrong in making millions out of sick miners, law firm tells tribunal – The Times

Posted November 20th, 2008 in claims management, industrial injuries, law firms, miners, news by sally

“A law firm that earned £141 million from a government industrial disease compensation scheme denied yesterday that it had exploited sick miners and their families.”

Full story

The Times, 20th November 2008

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

SRA comes under fire in Beresfords tribunal – The Lawyer

“The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) was accused of ignoring ‘false information’ and holding a ‘biased’ investigation, as the disciplinary tribunal against the coalminers lawyer Jim Beresford continued today.”

Full story

The Lawyer, 18th November 2008

Source: www.thelawyer.com

Solicitors accused over ‘dubious deals’ with union official that cost sick miners thousands – The Times

Posted November 18th, 2008 in claims management, fees, industrial injuries, miners, news, solicitors, trade unions by sally

“Britain’s highest-earning solicitor acted dishonestly and with ‘conscious impropriety’ in dealings with a mining union that led to his firm handling thousands of industrial disease compensation claims, a tribunal heard yesterday.”

Full story

The Times, 18th November 2008

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Solicitors ‘misled’ sick miners – BBC News

Posted November 17th, 2008 in claims management, fees, industrial injuries, miners, news, solicitors by sally

“Two solicitors who won personal injury claims for thousands of miners have appeared before a tribunal accused of taking cuts from compensation pay-outs.”

Full story

BBC News, 17th November 2008

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Jim Beresford’s firm made £16.7m in year handling miners’ compensation claims – The Times

Posted November 14th, 2008 in fees, industrial injuries, law firms, miners, news by sally

“Jim Beresford gained the dubious distinction of being the ‘highest-earning solicitor in Britain’ through the profits generated by his firm’s handling of miners’ compensation claims.”

Full story

The Times, 14th November 2008

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Miners’ compensation: third of solicitors now flout rules on secret payments to win work – The Times

Posted November 14th, 2008 in industrial injuries, miners, news, professional conduct, solicitors by sally

“The legal profession faces a radical overhaul of a multimillion-pound trade in which thousands of solicitors fork out confidential payments or commission to obtain work.”

Full story

The Times, 14th November 2008

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Law firms rake in £700m in fees for coal miners’ claims – Legal Week

Posted June 12th, 2008 in compensation, fees, industrial injuries, law firms, miners, news by sally

“Legal fees for firms advising on the ongoing compensation claims for sick coal miners have hit more than £700m.”

Full story

Legal Week, 12th June 2008

Source: www.legalweek.com

Solicitor Jim Beresford makes £30m from sick miners’ compensation scheme – The Times

Posted June 9th, 2008 in compensation, industrial injuries, miners, news, solicitors by sally

“A solicitor who specialises in claiming compensation for sick coalminers has banked a personal profit of more than £30 million from the government-funded scheme.”

Full story

The Times, 9th June 2008

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Whitehall bungled miners’ compensation, say MPs – The Guardian

Posted March 4th, 2008 in compensation, industrial injuries, miners, news by sally

“Whitehall ‘seriously mismanaged’ a £4bn compensation scheme for former miners suffering from lung disease and physical injuries, a report by a committee of MPs said yesterday.”

Full story

The Guardian, 4th March 2008

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Lawyers forced to repay millions taken from sick miners’ compensation – The Times

Posted February 8th, 2008 in compensation, industrial injuries, law firms, miners, news by sally

“Law firms that grew rich by exploiting sick miners are to be forced to repay tens of millions of pounds that they wrongly sliced from their clients’ compensation.”

Full story

The Times, 8th February 2008

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

LCS rejects ‘negative’ report on sick miners – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted January 18th, 2008 in fees, industrial injuries, miners, news by sally

“The Legal Complaints Service (LCS) has branded a report claiming it has short-changed some sick miners seeking repayment of fees as ‘unduly harsh’ and ‘negative’.”

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 17th January 2008

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk