During the early 1970s, conveyancing work was the lifeblood of most high street firms. The litigation solicitor was the ‘poor relation’ of the practice. It was commonplace to hear the comment that the litigators were heavily subsidised by the conveyancers. This situation even survived for many years after the abolition of the scale fee.

We now hear that swingeing cuts to the legal aid budget will leave countless, highly deserving people without legal representation – a further erosion of the constitutional right of access to justice for all.

If the principle of departments in solicitors’ practices subsidising each other to provide the public with a comprehensive service worked in the 1970s, perhaps it might be worth looking at again in the 2010s.

Trevor F Moore, solicitor and Notary Public, Ibstock, Leicestershire