Crime and law
Sir: Contrary to the statement in your leader on the legal profession (November 17) it should be possible to sue a barrister or solicitor who acts negligently outside the field of litigation. This view was expressed by the House of Lords as an obiter dictum in the case of Rondel v Worsley. A lawyer cannot be sued for the negligent conduct of litigation because to do so, in effect, would necessitate the re-opening of a decided case.
Nationalisation of the profession is, of course, a matter of opinion. Nevertheless, it is remarkable that it should be proposed by the same journal that, during the last twelve months, has carried highly critical articles on the working of the National Health Service (January 6) and British Steel Corporation (February 17) and another advocating denationalisation of the whole public sector (January 20).
Richard Reid 30 Love Lane, Pinner, Middlesex.
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