One rule for some

I have recently ascertained from the Institute of Chartered Accountants that it 'does not have the same arrangements as the Law Society in relation to scrutiny of members' charges for services.

Furthermore, the institute does not, as a matter of policy, get involved in fee disputes.

This is because fees are part of your contract with your accountant and any dispute is a matter for legal resolution.'

I find this surprising.

Why is it that solicitors are subject to the additional scrutiny of their charges via a remuneration certificate (and, I would point out, for non-contentious work which is often not dissimilar in kind to accountants' work) and accountants are not? Is this not another example of the excessive (and possibly unfair) regulation to which our profession is subjected, over and above that of just about every other comparable profession?

Hugh Tallamy, Durston Tallamy, Cherry Hinton, Cambridge