Keddies latest trick
Around The Firms • Wednesday, April 18, 2012 Substantial settlement for Keddies' overcharging … Millionaires want to put damages payouts on lay-by … Template response from AG's office ... Complaints about professional misconduct sent to Bermuda Triangle
When it comes to Keddies, amazement never ceases.
A former client of the gouging law shop, William Breakspear, secured a substantial settlement from the Keddies' partners in an overcharging case.
When the amount became payable, Firths, acting for Breakspear, was stunned to receive a letter from Verekers, acting for the former Keddies' principals. The letter said:
"On April 4, 2012 each of our clients filed a Notice of Motion to pay by instalments - individual.
Under the rules such motions are to be dealt with in the absence of the parties."
Millionaires Russell Keddie, Scott Roulstone and Tony Barakat, want to pay the damages they consented to by instalments.
Jesus H. Christ. What next?
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Tariq: AG won't look into mishandling of overcharging complaint
The NSW attorney general is sending out nifty little "drop-dead" letters to people who tirelessly complain about the Office of Legal Services Commissioner.
Increasing numbers of citizens are expressing their dissatisfaction with Steve Mark and his dismissal of their complaints about lawyers.
Mohammed Tariq, a former overcharged client of Keddies, is a persistent campaigner - but he keeps hitting brick walls.
Mark dismissed two of Tariq's complaints. One concerned overcharging where different assessments ranged between 8.23 and 74 percent in excess of what was regarded as a fair and reasonable bill.
Mark said the Administrative Decisions Tribunal had already knocked back a case against a barrister who was found to have overcharged by 63 percent beyond what was fair and reasonable.
So tough-luck Tariq.
Mark also accepted responses from Keddies' employed solicitor Philip Scroope as to the firm's failure to provide a timely cost disclosure to Tariq.
Scroope was concerned "not to impose unnecessary additional burdens on, or cause stress" to the client.
That was quite OK by Mark.
In frustration, Tariq has been firing off missives to attorney general Greg Smith, calling for an investigation into the OLSC.
He received a reply at the end of March, which contained all the usual bureaucratic run-around. It concluded:
"I note you have been writing with your concerns about the Legal Services Commissioner for some years. Though I acknowledge you remain aggrieved, I regret that I am unable to be of further assistance to you. I do appreciate that you may be disappointed with this advice. However I trust you will understand that there is sometimes a limit to the assistance I am able to provide, and also to the extent that correspondence can continue after a definitive response has been provided.
If you wish to correspond further on this same subject, your concerns will of course be noted and recorded on an official file, but I regret that it will not be possible for my department or I to provide you with a further response."
When Mr Javier Izquierdo sent letters about his concerns as to the way the OLSC handled his complaints, parliament secretary for justice and king of the comb-overs: David Clarke MLC replied with exactly the same two paragraphs.
In other words, we'll put you into a black box and forget about you.
The computerised template is getting a good workout.
Greg Smith, Keddies
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