Solicitous solicitors
Sir: It is good to see that at last some one outside the solicitors' profession is con- cerned about the potential problems cre- ated by the Courts and Legal Services Act, particularly those parts relating to convey- ancing by banks and building societies ('Law reform is an ass', 4 August).
In an increasing complex society, it is important that everyone has access to the law. The parsimonious attitude of the Government to legal aid fees has forced most solicitors to restrict very severely the 'it's mad coup disease.' number of legal aid cases they can take on. The result is that there are large numbers of people with serious problems desperate- ly trying to find a solicitor to act for them. In Plymouth it is by no means unusual for a potential legal aid client to be obliged to approach six or seven solicitors before finding one able to act for them.
If the banks and building societies take up conveyancing, resulting in the demise of small firms of solicitors, this situation will be severely aggravated, particularly in rural areas, except that in this case it will apply to everyone, not just those entitled to legal aid.
Contrary to popular mythology, small firms of solicitors and their staffs have traditionally provided a good service to all sections of society, often at a loss or free of charge and often at anti-social hours. They really care about their clients and their problems and one wonders why Lord Mackay wished to deprive the English and Welsh of this service. Does anyone really think that employees of banks, building societies or large commercial city centre firms working to strict financial targets and commissions will provide the same?
Interestingly enough, when a Bill in similar terms, relating to Lord Mackay's own Scotland, was submitted to Parliament it was withdrawn. The Government's reason was that it was concerned about the disappearance of legal advice in rural Scotland. This argument applies with equal force to very large areas of England and Wales and to millions of English and Welsh people.
John S. Murray
7 The Crescent, Plymouth
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