Legal firm hits back in miners cash fee claim
A SOUTH Yorkshire firm of solicitors is the only firm still refusing to repay fees taken from miners claiming compensation, The Star can reveal.
Raleys in Barnsley, which has made at least 40 million from claims, is to face a tribunal over demands to repay pitmen involved in a South Yorkshire trial which uncovered hundreds of cases of alleged double-charging, says the Legal Complaints Service.
But Ian Firth, senior partner at Raleys, said he was surprised the LCS should single them out for criticism. And he said it was incorrect to imply the firm received payments from miners' compensation because the money had been passed on to the NUM.
He added: "Raleys has never received a single penny in deductions from compensation from any of its clients involved in the Claims Handling Agreement scheme for injured miners.
"We cannot repay money we have not received. Mr Walker is confusing two quite separate issues."
The LCS wrote to all former miners in the Rother Valley constituency asking if they felt fees had been wrongly deducted, a pilot now rolled out nationally.
Some 345 responded saying they had paid money to law firms - despite charges being covered by the Government under the Coal Health Compensation Scheme.
Bob Walker, of the LCS, said they contacted the solicitors involved and all had agreed to voluntarily repay charges - an average of 450 each - except for Raleys. The firm had 115 clients in the trial.
Mr Walker added: "Raleys is now the only firm that doesn't return money to miners. Every other firm accepts it should be returned.
Some 18 months ago the LCS reported Raleys to the Solicitors Regulation Authority for allegedly breaching its code of conduct for refusing to repay fees.
The firm faces a Solicitors' Disciplinary Tribunal in May.
But Mr Firth added: "Raleys provided legal services under a special NUM scheme in which, in return for the union's backing and quality-assurance support, claimants who were not full members of the union agreed to pay a contribution.
"The claimants authorised Raleys to deduct the contribution from any compensation received and pass it on to the NUM.
"These complaints are currently subject of the Law Society's confidential adjudication and appeals processes."
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Wednesday 23 May 2012
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