The
Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) has struck off two solicitors, Jim Beresford and Douglas Smith of Beresfords solicitors in Doncaster. The two lawyers were found guilty of dishonesty after they acted for miners with industrial diseases and deducted money from the miners’ compensation awards.
Russell Levy a partner with personal injury firm Leigh Day & Co said today: “We welcome the imposition by the SRA of the maximum penalty available. The legal profession should not tolerate solicitors taking advantage of any clients, let alone vulnerable and seriously-ill ones.
No-win no-fee and collective costs agreements in group litigation provide efficient and fair ways to help injured people obtain access to justice. Flagrant abuses like this damage the reputation of the professional and only assist the cause of those who seek to perpetuate the myth of the compensation culture and so deny ordinary people their right to meaningful restitution."
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