Lawyers list full of errors.

Byline: By Steven Oliver

Red-faced civil servants have revised their name and shame solicitors' list after the Chronicle uncovered a string of mistakes.

But, amazingly, the new document still contains an error we pointed out to the Department of Trade and Industry.

There was fury from solicitors who were wrongly included on the list for failing to answer questions from Coal Health Minister Nigel Griffiths.

The minister wanted to know if law firms had charged miners a percentage of compensation payouts, on top of their Government fee.

Government officials released a list of 100 firms they claimed had failed to respond to their questions, 11 of which were from the North East. The firms were then removed from the Government's approved list for dealing with compensation.

But a Chronicle investigation revealed some of the firms had responded or, in some cases, ceased to trade years ago.

A DTI spokesman admitted some errors did creep in to their original document.

He added: "We have today published a revised version of solicitors removed from the approved list.

"Since the original was published, a few solicitors have made representations that they should not have been on it.

"In addition, the Law Society this week provided a list of firms who have ceased trading or changed their name since their last dealings with the department. All of these have been removed from the list."

A Law Society spokesman said: "Our chief executive Janet Paraskeva wrote to Nigel Griffiths pointing out inaccuracies in a list by the DTI last year.

"Two on the list were no longer practising because we had shut them for bankruptcy.

"In some cases, the firms are no longer at the address given, explaining why the DTI didn't get replies."

The Law Society has set up a hotline for complaints about the way solicitors have handled cases for miners' compensation. The number is 0845 608 6565, from Monday to Friday.