OSS overhaul

Reading both the complaint from the Lord Chancellor's Department and the Editorial in last week's Gazette (see [2000] Gazette, 29 June, 3, 14) has prompted me to write in to make the point that both the public interest and our profession require a visibly independent process for dealing with complaints against solicitors, and indeed others who do legal work.The bad PR given off by a slow and obviously underfunded Office for the Supervision of Solicitors, despite its hard-working staff, is damaging to our profession, which now operates in a world filled with external competition.

An independent commissioner with jurisdiction over other branches of the legal world, including the Bar, conveyancers, banks and others who do probate work, and even claims negotiators, would put everyone on the same level playing field.

From the point of view of public interest, there is something slightly rotten about the idea of self-regulation.The Law Society should press for reform, and for all legal services to be covered.

The Society should then direct its energies towards disciplinary matters where there is no public complainant (such as breaches of the Accounts' Rules and complaints by other firms), and just as importantly, supporting solicitors who are having problems which, if not nipped in the bud, can lead to poor service for their clients or worse.

Laurence Mann, A L Hughes & Co, London