The Law Society’s Gazette, April 1953Legal Aid Scheme

In my view it is high time that the Society pressed for the introduction of a new system of remuneration for solicitors in contentious matters. The existing scales are out of date and bear no relation either to the present value of money or to the cost of running a practice, whilst the discretionary items are left to the whim of an official who has little knowledge of the case, or the work involved.

April 1963 Inside story

Inside Story is a report published to draw attention to ‘discrepancies between policy and practice in prison administration in England’. The authors of this report speak from first hand experience. All 33 of them have served prison sentences of varying lengths and together they are able to speak of conditions in 12 different English prisons. None of them was a criminal in the ordinary sense of the word; all went to prison for their part in demonstrations against nuclear weapons.

Their comments on prison administration have one notable virtue. They are almost entirely constructive, since they are in the form of recommendations of what ought to be done to improve prison administration in the future, rather than as complaints.

April 1973 Manpower in the profession

As secretary, future of the profession, one of the matters which concerns me is the manpower situation in the profession. The rate of admissions has increased rapidly in recent years. It must, however, be noted that the proportion of practising certificates to population in England and Wales has remained virtually the same since 1900, namely, one to every 2,000 inhabitants.

When you consider the enormous increase in the statute book since 1900, the way in which the law affects individuals so much more now than it did then, and the rise of the property-owning democracy, then it looks as though either there were too many solicitors in 1900 or not enough now.

April 1983 Encroachment on solicitors’ services

I am writing to express my concern as to what would appear to me to be a continuing trend against our profession today. It would appear to me that for many years past, various other professional bodies have been encroaching on what was previously considered to be the territory of solicitors.

The general public, with regard to the sale of property, now appears to consider that it is wise to consult first an estate agent, qualified or unqualified, before consulting a solicitor in such a matter. Where will all this end, and what do we, as a profession, intend to do about it?