Early day motion tabled by primary sponsor Joseph Ashton (Labour), on Monday, 9 December 1991, in the House of Commons. It is signed by 15 members in total.

---

LEGAL PROFESSION'S TREATMENT OF MR AND MRS HUFTON

That this House deplores the circumstances suffered by Mr and Mrs Hufton of 27 Festival Avenue, Harworth, near Doncaster, who were sent to Dean, Thomas solicitors of Worksop by the local Citizens' Advice Bureau, who were awarded ??3,000 compensation and costs against a builder Mr Roy Butler, who had built their house extension, only to see him promptly go bankrupt without paying a penny, then find that Dean, Thomas put the Huftons in court for the costs of ??922, plus interest; further notes that the Lord Chancellor refused to intervene when requested by the honourable Member for Bassetlaw, that the Solicitors' Complaints Bureau refused any investigation or support despite the fact that the Huftons had not been warned of the consequences or signed any agreement as to liability, that the Office of Fair Trading were powerless, and that the Worksop County Court on 21st November 1991 refused a request for adjournment until the Legal Service Ombudsman had finished his investigation; and concludes that this hasty greed of the legal profession is a travesty of justice, costing this innocent family over ??5,800 for nothing.

---

Secondary information

Type

Early day motion

Reference

355 

Session

1991-92

Subjects

Legal profession Liability Legal costs Solicitors Doncaster

Link

View this Early day motion on www.parliament.uk