Alerts

Warning: Letter from 'Valley Laws Services LLC' misusing the name of John Burgess

12 March 2026

A letter has been sent to a member of the public from 'Valley Laws Services LLC' misusing the name of John Burgess, in relation to an unclaimed permanent life insurance policy.

What is the scam?

A member of the public has received a letter misusing the name of a genuine solicitor (see details below).

The letter was purportedly sent from an individual called John P. Burgess, claiming to be a 'Principal Attorney'.

The letter informs the recipient of an unclaimed permanent life insurance policy which they are entitled to because they share the same last name and nationality of the deceased. The letter advises the recipient that their name can be added to the policy as next of kin and beneficiary for a share of the proceeds.

The letter provides the email addresses of 'john.burgess@vallylaws.com' and ‘burgessjohn948@gmail.com' and the telephone number of '+44 747 470 8501'. The letter also provides an address of ‘300 Canada Place, Canary Wharf, United Kingdom'.

The SRA does not authorise or regulate a firm named ‘Valley Laws Services LLC'.

Any business or transaction through the above contact details is not undertaken by a firm or individual authorised and regulated by the SRA.

Is there a genuine firm or person?

The SRA used to authorise and regulate a firm of solicitors called Valleys Laws (SRA ID 619607), which ceased trading on 8 January 2015.

The SRA authorises and regulates a genuine solicitor called John Paul Burgess, whose SRA number is 138499.

The genuine solicitor John Paul Burgess have confirmed that they do not have any connection to the letters referred to above.

What should I do?

When a firm's or individual's identity has been copied exactly (or cloned), due diligence is necessary. If you receive correspondence claiming to be from the above firm(s) or individual(s), or information of a similar nature to that described, you should conduct your own due diligence by checking the authenticity of the correspondence by contacting the law firm directly by reliable and established means. You can contact the SRA to find out if individuals or firms are regulated and authorised by the SRA and verify an individual's or firm's practising details. Other verification methods, such as checking public records (e.g. telephone directories and company records) may be required in other circumstances.