The UK Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) has fined and suspended two Davenport Lyons lawyers, Brian Laurence Miller and David Joel Gore, for their role in knowingly "targeting people innocent of any copyright breach" (here) when they sent "bullying" letters to broadband ISP customers whom they had suspected of being involved with "illegal" internet copyright infringement (piracy).

The SDT ruled in June 2011 that the lawyers had committed professional misconduct (here) and has now passed down the punishment. Each will be required to pay a penalty fine of £20,000 and have been suspended from practising for three months. Miller and Gore have also been ordered to pay interim costs to the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) of £150,000.


According to a separate report on PC Pro today, Davenport Lyons has described the penalties as "totally unjustified" and warned that the two affected lawyers intended, with the firms full support, to appeal (this will take place before the end of August 2011). Meanwhile those whom were innocently accused by the firm will be pleased to know that justice is finally being done.

The complaint was originally brought in 2008 by Which? magazine after they accused DL of using "excessive" and "bullying" conduct. Andrew Crossley, the boss of another equally notorious law firm called ACS:Law UK, faces a similar hearing before the SDT in October 2011.