Beresfords faces SRA action over miners' claims

The disciplinary hearing against two partners at Beresford Solicitors relating to their handling of compensation claims from sick coal miners kicked off this week (17 November), with the pair accused of 11 counts of misconduct.

Tim Dutton QC of Fountain Court Chambers is representing the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) in the tribunal, which sees the SRA claiming that name partner Jim Beresford - reportedly the UK's highest earning solicitor - and colleague Douglas Smith took cuts worth millions of pounds from compensation payouts stemming from claims made by sick coal miners.

Alan Gourgey QC of 11 Stone Buildings is acting for Beresfords, with the tribunal expected to last until 26 November.

Doncaster firm Beresfords handled some 83,000 claims by miners, and subsequently saw its profits grow from £8.5m in 2004 to around £36.2m in 2006.

Earlier this year the firm emerged as one of the biggest beneficiaries from the claims when Hansard figures revealed it brought in £140.7m in fees until June this year, just behind Thompsons Solicitors at £141.8m. Total legal fees for firms advising on the ongoing compensation claims had passed the £700m mark.

In January the Legal Services Complaint Commissioner Zahid Manzoor unleashed a scathing attack on the handling of complaints arising from the miner's compensation claims by the Legal Complaints Service, citing administrative failures and ineffective management controls contributing to miners missing out potential payouts.

Manzoor said: "It would be wrong for me to comment on specific cases, but referring back to my special report published in January 2008, I had concerns at that time about the protracted nature of some of the investigations into solicitors' conduct. It is in the interests of all concerned -the profession and consumers alike - that these matters are now resolved."

Beresfords denies the claims..