ONE of Barnsley’s oldest law firms has gone into administration - leaving hundreds of clients uncertain if and when their legal matters will be dealt with.
Raleys Solicitors - founded 130 years ago - made millions from miners’ compensation claims but administrators were brought in this week after two recent scandals damaged the firn’s reputation and its profitability.
In 2014, Raleys hit the headlines after labelling NUM members - who made up the bulk of the firm’s clients for 90 years - as ‘thick’ in a training guide which described a generic miner making a compensation claim as ‘Mr Thikas Toosh Ortplanks’.
And in 2009 the firm was found by a tribunal to have deliberately breached a code of conduct on touting for clients collect £32m in fees from miners’ compensation claims.
Senior partner Ian Firth was suspended for four years while colleagues David Barber was banned for two years and Jonathan Markham for six months.
Three junior partners were each fined £10,000. The firm was also ordered to pay costs of £800,000.
Read more in this weeks Barnsley Chronicle
