Solicitors Found Guilty of Stealing Millions

You hear the horror stories about people who steal money from the sick and elderly and with disdain, you hope it never happens to you or someone you know. Yet that’s exactly what’s happened to many sick and elderly miners who were accosted of their funds by Jim Beresford and partner Douglas Smith. Both were found guilty by a Solicitors’ Disciplinary Tribunal in London this month on eight counts of serious professional misconduct.

It seems that Beresford and Smith have been making money from the Government’s Coal Health Compensation Scheme to which miners file personal injury claims. Beresford, recognized as Britain’s highest earning solicitor, is charged as such for retaining as much as 30 percent of a miner’s damages. If this seems fair and equitable, Beresfords presented more than 83,000 cases of chronic pulmonary disease alone.

In many cases, Beresford and Smith offered insufficient advice to clients and accepted contingency fee agreements that were not in the best interests of their clients. When Beresford and Smith caught wind of the accusations of malpractice, they were quick to announce that the firm would refund all success fees but no reports could be found that this was ever done.

Adding insult to the injury, Beresford and Smith are living in the lap of luxury. Their earnings have exploded from a mere 182,000 pounds in 2000 to 23,273,256 pounds in 2006. Further, Beresford, who is 58 years old, purchased a Super King Air turbo-prop private aircraft that cost 1.8 million pounds, a Ferrari and an Aston. Partner Smith, who is 52 years old, purchased a Bentley Arnage and an Aston Martin DB9.

Such luxury purchases don’t equate out when contrasted to the salaries that Beresford and Smith report to the books. Further, some of their clients have been accosted of their funds severely. One
Miner’s widow was left with only 217.73 pounds after Beresfords took their success fee. It is estimated that the solicitors have earned more than 1.3 billion pounds from the claims scheme when final payouts are made.

Currently, many miners still have not been repaid by the firm for the funds wrongfully taken from them. Ironically enough, Beresfords is contesting that their firm has done nothing wrong and is taking steps to appeal to the High Court.