by Keith Richmond
JOHN MANN, the Labour MP for Bassetlaw who led the successful campaign against Beresfords solicitors for ripping off miners, says another nine firms face disciplinary tribunals in the new year. The next case starts on January 5 and Mr Mann said: “They should all be dealt with promptly – and justly. Then there needs to be a proper examination of how such a scandal can happen.”
Mr Mann revealed that an extraordinary £1 billion has now been paid in costs to lawyers acting for sick miners. He said: “We need to look at the role of the judiciary. A judge set it up and the lawyers have been lining their pockets. It is beyond a joke. The Government should take some of the blame, too.”
On December 12 the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal struck off Jim Beresford and Douglas Smith, partners of Beresfords in Doncaster, south Yorkshire, after finding them guilty of serious professional misconduct.
The firm specialised in winning personal injury claims for sick miners but failed to act in the best interests of their clients, failed to give adequate legal advice and broke the rules governing solicitors’ practice.
The compensation scheme paid legal costs – and the firm took more than £123 million in fees – but their greed meant they illegally plundered extra sums out of the money meant to go directly to the ex-miners.
Beresfords enjoyed a particularly close relationship with the Union of Democratic Mineworkers which broke away from the National Union of Mineworkers – and contoversially crossed picket lines during the bitter miners’ strike of 1984-85.
Mr Mann first called for Beresfords to be struck off three years ago and said he was delighted to be vindicated. “Beresfords represent all that is wrong with today’s money driven professional classes. Jim Beresford is a modern day Midas, believing everything he touched would turn to gold, but ending up as the man who would not listen.
“Even now, Beresfords have failed to pay back many of the miners they duped. I trust that cheques with compensation will be in the post before Christmas.”
Mr Mann has taken action against more than 40 firms of solicitors, forcing two-thirds of them to pay back money. He has also won more than 100 cases against the firm through the Law Society Legal Complaints Service – with more underway.
And since the two partners were struck off last week, new cases have come forward.
Mr Mann said: “I’ve had a new one this week where a solicitor asked a claimant for a 5 per cent fee ‘to help other miners’. It’s a variation on the same old theme of creaming off the cash that should have gone to miners.”
The MP has called for all the cash wrongly taken from ex-miners and their widows to be returned immediately. He said: “I call on all ex-miners to come forward immediately and get their money back.”
