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Miners' lawyers lose ban appeal | Miners' lawyers lose ban appeal |
(21 minutes later) | |
Solicitors who took millions of pounds from compensation payouts given to sick miners have lost their appeal against being struck off for misconduct. | Solicitors who took millions of pounds from compensation payouts given to sick miners have lost their appeal against being struck off for misconduct. |
James Beresford and Douglas Smith, formerly of Doncaster-based Beresfords Solicitors, had denied 11 counts of serious professional misconduct. | |
A tribunal last year found eight of the allegations against them proven. | A tribunal last year found eight of the allegations against them proven. |
Three High Court judges have now upheld the tribunal decision to strike them off the Roll of Solicitors. | Three High Court judges have now upheld the tribunal decision to strike them off the Roll of Solicitors. |
The Solicitors' Disciplinary Tribunal was told last year that the men had acted "unacceptably" by charging clients event though the government was paying their fees. | |
'Nothing wrong' | |
The partners were later struck off the Roll of Solicitors for conduct unbefitting solicitors. | |
High Court judges ruled on Wednesday that the tribunal had been entitled to make "a cumulative series of findings of very serious misconduct on a huge scale in relation to thousands of vulnerable clients". | |
Beresford, 59, who was said in 2007 to be one of Britain's highest-earning solicitors, and Smith, 53, made millions of pounds from personal injury claims for miners under the government's coal health compensation scheme. | |
The law firm had argued there was "absolutely nothing wrong" with earning substantial fees from its business conduct. | |
Simon McMillan, a partner at Beresfords Solicitors, said: "This is a matter that concerns two former partners who left the business over 12 months ago. | |
"They will no doubt be carefully considering their options as to what steps to take to clear their names." |