Davenport Lyons lawyers ‘ignored clients’ concerns’

[DaBees-Knees]

http://www.p2pnet.net/story/45869

When Davenport Lyons partner David Gore (right) and ex-partner Brian Miller (left) sent 6,000 letters to alleged file-sharers demanding £525 (about $856) to ’settle’, they knew IP data they used to ID them was flawed.

Both men have since caught the attention of the the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) and now have to answer to the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal for ‘bullying’ and ‘excessive conduct’, p2pnet recently quoted the the Law Society Gazette as saying.

“Davenport Lyns was the firm behind Andrew Crossley and his ACS:Law, also targeted by the SRA”, we said, going on, “Crossley had been making a living by terrorising innocent people with ‘pay up or else’ settlement extortion letters similar to those used by Vivendi Universal, EMI, Warner Music and Sony Music’s RIAA during it’s failed, six-year Sue ‘Em All campaign.”

The SRA filing said Gore and Miller “knew that in conducting generic campaigns against those identified as IP holders whose IP numeric had been used for downloading or uploading of material that they might in such generic campaigns be targeting people innocent of any copyright breach”, according to PC Pro, which goes on >>>

The watchdog also accuses the Davenport Lyons pair of allowing their independence to be compromised, by turning the letter campaign into a revenue generator rather than a legal case – meaning they acted in their own financial interests instead of their clients.

The lawyers convinced right holders to allow them to act on their behalf by waiving hourly fees and instead taking a cut of the settlements. The pair earned £150,000 of the £370,000 collected from alleged file-sharers.

“Because they were looking to recoup their own costs, the lawyers ignored clients’ concerns about the negative publicity the letter campaign could — and eventually did — cause”, the SRA claims.

Fully exposed at last. A couple of portraits for the rogues gallery.