The Gazette reported in December 2002 that the Law Society Council was against referral fees; by April 2003 it was in favour; in October, it was opposed, but last month it has decided to permit the practice.

The council gives the impression either of being terrified of the Office of Fair Trading and/or seduced by the blandishments of the conveyancing mills.

If anecdotal evidence is to be believed, not only is the stable door swinging wide open with the horse long gone, but a coach and horses is being ridden over the existing regulations under the guise of so-called marketing agreements.

The Law Society should bring to this matter the same rigour that it applies to other areas of professional practice.

If this does not happen, the advent of commission-driven conveyancing will leave the public more than unimpressed; it will cause the reputation of the profession to compare unfavourably with the lower reaches of the timeshare industry.

Gerald Jones, Gerald Jones & Co, Thetford