The dinosaur runs and runs

Paul Marsh's observations on property selling by solicitors (The Lawyer, 11 February) are intriguing.

He refers to instances of two claims against the Compensation Fund within my constituency of Surrey. Is he seriously suggesting that grants paid out in these cases were in respect of claims against solicitors acting in their capacity as estate agents?

Perhaps he could let me know. A glance at the latest annual report from SIF tells us quite categorically that estate agency is an extremely low risk category.

In fact, according to the figures, estate agency services provided by solicitors have resulted in the lowest number of claims against the fund over the past two years.

In 1996, estate agency contributed 0.01 per cent by value compared with a staggering 51.6 per cent paid out for residential conveyancing.

Mr Marsh should remember that Dinosaurs bit the dust because they could not adapt to a changing environment. It is conceivable that conveyancing solicitors will follow suit.



Anthony Bogan

Bogan Gilson

Richmond-upon-Thames

Surrey