Duplicated Menu Links

What is the benefit - and I guess there must be an SEO one - for having the top navigation drop-down links duplicated to appear in the footer? (on every page of the website) I see this on a leading SEP `expert``s website with over 50 links in the footer - it looks spammy and yet you would think that they should know what works and what doesn`t. Any thoughts on it? My first thought would be, "you need to get rid of those" - and yet this is on a leading SEO`s website.... so, I figure... what do I know...