THE CONVEYANCE OF LAND.
[To THE EDITOR OF TNE "SPECTATOR."]
SIR,—In referring to the Attorney-General's speech at Ventnor, in your issue of September 12th, you say,—" It has long been fore- seen that a radical alteration in the methods of conveyancing would involve as a corollary a complete change in the methods of paying lawyers," and you quote an instance given by the Attorney- General in which it cost 250 to convey land worth 2500. Will you allow me to point out the fact that the alteration you refer to has been already carried out by the provisions of the Solicitors' Remuneration Act, 1882, and the General Order made there- under whereby, in the absence of special contract, a graduated ad-valorem scale of charges for the conveyance of land is fixed, by which solicitors and their clients are alike bound ? Under this scale, the total expense of conveying land sold for 2500 would be as follows :— Vendor's Solicitor's costs
27 10 0 Purchaser's Solicitor's costs 7 10 0 Stamps 210 0 Total 217 10 0
It is true that the Act leaves it open to the parties to make a special bargain as to the mode in which the solicitor is to be remunerated, and this is, no doubt, occasionally done in excep- tional cases ; but the competition for business in the profession, and other causes, make such bargains very unusual.—! am, Sir, H. R. [Why should the cost be even seventeen shillings P—En. Spectator.]
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