Report comment

"The technique of persuasion" written by Sir David Napley, past President of the Law Society, contained much wisdom for hard pressed practitioners.

He wrote in his book, at a time when we still sent letters, that the golden rule, which should govern the content of any letter was - " how would this letter sound if read out in open court?"

This advice has been for me priceless over the years, so no matter what the provocation, either from clients or other professionals, my letters ,and then emails, have always been composed in a state of equanimity!

Solicitors, if they are to remain distinctive, as accountants and others covet their work, must in my view, work harder to show the surviving hallmarks of being part of a profession, even if at times, their own regulator, tries hard to push the profession towards contradictory, competition obsessed objectives.