I am very encouraged by Jack Straw’s announcement that he thinks it entirely proper that lawyers are paid decent rates and his assertion that we should not expect to be paid more than public sector employees.

On that basis, therefore, I would expect senior lawyers to be paid the same as senior partners in doctors’ practices.

The consequences of a botched hearing can be as damaging to a client as a botched diagnosis. If the government paid for our offices and our staff, we could dedicate all our time to client care instead of having to worry about financing our practices as businesses. I trust that Straw, as a lawyer himself, would agree with me on this.

John D Sellars & Co, Sutton