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Conduct Of Simpson & Marwick Solicitors, Edinburgh

EDM number 271 in 1998-99, proposed by Nigel Griffiths on 03/02/1999.

That this House notes with concern the report from the Law Society of Scotland censuring Andrew Renton of Simpson and Marwick solicitors for 'unprofessional conduct to be deplored'; in relation to his dealings with ERDC construction company; also deplores the actions of Simpson and Marwick in using every device to frustrate the arbitration procedures of the Law Society of Scotland, forcing other parties to bear disproportionate costs and suffer intolerable delays; notes that in the case of ERDC construction company, this resulted in Simpson and Marwick engineering a five year delay in settling an account, with consequential costs rising from ú65,000 to over ú250,000, mainly in lawyers' bills, forcing ERDC to divert resources from expanding their business and creating skilled jobs, to paying hefty legal bills for each challenge Simpson and Marwick made to the arbiter's findings in favour of ERDC; calls on the Law Society of Scotland to investigate why this arbitration took so many years, and to consider revising its procedures to ensure that its lawyer members do not frustrate arbitration at every turn and add crippling amounts to other parties in lawyers' bills; regrets that the delay in the ERDC case is a grave blow to public confidence in the arbitration system endorsed by the Law Society of Scotland; and further regrets that the Law Society of Scotland did not require its member Simpson and Marwick to pay any compensation to ERDC for its 'unprofessional conduct'; and urges the society to consider what payment in compensation is commensurate with the offence.

This motion has been signed by a total of 42 MPs, 2 of these signatures have been withdrawn.

MPDateConstituencyPartyType
Nigel Griffiths03/02/1999Edinburgh SouthLabourProposed
Tom Clarke03/02/1999Coatbridge & ChrystonLabourSigned
Gavin Strang03/02/1999Edinburgh East & MusselburghLabourSigned
Anne Begg03/02/1999Aberdeen SouthLabourSigned
Irene Adams03/02/1999Paisley NorthLabourSigned
Maria Fyfe03/02/1999Glasgow, MaryhillLabourSigned
Caroline Flint03/02/1999Don ValleyLabourSigned
Ian Davidson03/02/1999Glasgow, PollokLabour Co-operativeSigned
Russell Brown03/02/1999DumfriesLabourSigned
Sandra Osborne03/02/1999AyrLabourSigned
Lewis Moonie03/02/1999KirkcaldyLabour Co-operativeSigned
Rosemary McKenna03/02/1999Cumbernauld & KilsythLabourSigned
John McAllion03/02/1999Dundee EastLabourSigned
John Maxton03/02/1999Glasgow, CathcartLabourSigned
David Marshall03/02/1999Glasgow, ShettlestonLabourSigned
Ernie Ross03/02/1999Dundee WestLabourSigned
Gordon Prentice03/02/1999PendleLabourSigned
Lynne Jones04/02/1999Birmingham, Selly OakLabourSigned
Norman Godman04/02/1999Greenock & InverclydeLabourSigned
Michael Connarty11/02/1999Falkirk EastLabourSigned
John Austin15/02/1999Erith & ThamesmeadLabourSigned
Ann Cryer15/02/1999KeighleyLabourSigned
Malcolm Savidge25/02/1999Aberdeen NorthLabourSigned
Harry Barnes25/02/1999North East DerbyshireLabourSigned
Jeff Ennis25/02/1999Barnsley East & MexboroughLabourSigned
Martin O'Neill25/02/1999OchilLabourSigned
Jim Murphy25/02/1999Renfrewshire EastLabourSigned
Rhodri Morgan25/02/1999Cardiff WestLabourSigned
Bill Michie25/02/1999Sheffield, HeeleyLabourSigned
Andrew Love25/02/1999EdmontonLabour Co-operativeSigned
Tom Levitt25/02/1999High PeakLabourSigned
David Kidney25/02/1999StaffordLabourSigned
Alan Keen25/02/1999Feltham & HestonLabour Co-operativeSigned
Jimmy Hood25/02/1999ClydesdaleLabourSigned
Dennis Skinner25/02/1999BolsoverLabourSigned
Brian Sedgemore25/02/1999Hackney South & ShoreditchLabourSigned
John McDonnell05/03/1999Hayes & HarlingtonLabourSigned
Audrey Wise05/03/1999PrestonLabourSigned
Ken Livingstone05/05/1999Brent EastLabourSigned
Jimmy Wray14/05/1999Glasgow, BailliestonLabourSigned
Phil SawfordUnknownWithdrawn
Malcolm ChisholmUnknownWithdrawn

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