I refer to your article on the Lord Chancellor's statement that he is considering a further liberalisation of conveyancing and probate services (see [2005] Gazette, 24 March, 1).

I heard on the radio some months ago a sorry tale of highly distressed beneficiaries having lost thousands of pounds because an unregulated corporate executor had gone into liquidation.


In my practice, we have encountered many instances of the vulnerable being coerced into changing their wills, or executing powers of attorney, and therefore, the idea that the government is even considering allowing employed individuals who are not ethically trained to participate in such a sensitive area fills me with dread.


Likewise, with conveyancing, if the government is to facilitate the provision of conveyancing services by institutions already operating monopolies in other sectors, how does this serve the wider public interest?


The Law Society should learn from what the government did to pharmacists and understand that its strategy of appeasement simply has not worked.




SJ Larcombe, Limbach Banham, Royston, Hertfordshire