I write in response to the letter from Shamil Purohit (7 January) headed ‘Wake up and smell the coffee’.

In the same issue of the Gazette on page six, the president of the Law Society states: ‘Those abroad observe our work, paying particular attention to the independence of our profession and to the perceived balance and fairness found in our legal system both criminal and civil. Their perception is built on the outstanding reputation of the judiciary [and] the trusted skills and expertise of solicitors and barristers.’

Mr Purohit’s letter and others in a similar vein appear to be based on the fact that, if you pay (for instance) for an estate agent to send you work, then that recommendation is not based upon independence, balance or fairness, nor on trusted skills or expertise, but simply on the passing of money from the solicitor to an estate agent.

Without wishing to denigrate estate agents, it is fair to say that there are a great many agencies nowadays which are not remotely interested in the professionalism, competence and independence of the solicitors to which they send work. Their sole concern is receiving payment for sending work. Some very large estate agencies refuse to recommend solicitors who do not pay them for the referral.

If the payment of referral fees is abolished, which I hope It is, then the estate agents and others who receive them will have to make a judgement on the basis of the solicitor who is most likely to get a matter dealt with promptly, efficiently and properly – by exercising independence, balance, fairness and expertise.

C A McDonald, Hallett & Co Ashford, Kent