Michael G Roper, who sent out letters of demand for ANCP from 2010, through to the end of 2012, has been officially disciplined by the NSW Legal Services Commissioner for "failure to respond to the complainant's correspondence" with a finding of "a reasonable likelihood of a finding of unsatisfactory professional conduct". Mr Roper's name has been listed in the NSW Legal Services Commissioner Register of Disciplinary Action (see this link). This register is kept permanently online so that prospective customers of lawyers can check it before engaging the services of that lawyer.
Hundreds of vehicle owners, after receiving demands from Michael Roper, wrote to Mr Roper asking for proof that they were the driver. Mr Roper would never reply to these people. Hundreds of vehicle owners also rang Mr Roper's office and left messages with his office, or left messages on his voice mail. What people didn't know, is that these letters and voice mails were intercepted by Australian Recoveries and Collections staff who did not respond to the letters or messages. The letters sent to Mr Roper's post office box were signed for by Paul Gyles and Victor Nudler - the two owners of Australian National Car Parks and Australian Recoveries and Collections.
The two law firms that act for Australian National Car Park's have been caught by the NSW Law Society and the NSW Legal Services Commissioner.
MBBF Solicitors
When Michael Roper Roper retired in late 2012, Australian National Car Parks and Australian Recoveries and Collections starting using a legal firm called Milne Berry Berger Freedman (MBBF). It can now be revealed that one of the partners of MBBF Solicitors was found by the NSW Law Society Council to have misappropriated the funds of an elderly lady who was confined to a nursing home and was expected to die within months. This MBBF solictor asked the lady to sign a document giving him power of attorney over her affairs. The Solicitor used to visit her most afternoons in the nursing home. What he didn't tell her was that each time he visited her, he was adding $300 to $500 to her bill for his services. When the Law Council found out there was no costs agreement in place to allow this, they suspended the partner's practicing certificate so that he could no longer practice law. Refer to Austlii for more information.
Freedman and Gopalan
Because one of the partners of MBBF Solicitors lost his practicing certificate, the MBBF practice could no longer operate, so the remaining partners in MBBF - Harry Freedman and Mittu Gopalan - formed a new firm called "Freedman and Gopalan". However, following the creation of "Freedman and Gopalan" we started seeing the same conduct that we saw when Michael Roper was ANCP's lawyer. That is:
Addresses on envelopes being sent to vehicle owners showing the address of ARC and not of Freedman and Gopalan.
Addresses on letters being sent to vehicle owners showing the address of ARC and not of Freedman and Gopalan.
Phone numbers on letters being sent to vehicle owners showing the phone numbers of ARC and not of Freedman and Gopalan.
Roper Legal