Having just been asked to answer 150 enquiries from a solicitor who is separately representing a lender – the answers to over 140 of them having been obvious from the lengthy and detailed pack I had already sent to them – I find myself opposed to separate lender representation.
Perhaps the Law Society can be encouraged to create a separate lender representation protocol which can work with our current protocol forms.
To face off the competition, solicitors need to streamline the process as much as possible to avoid duplication of work, and to speed up the process for the clients. The extra work does mean I am charging more; but in the long run I cannot see that by making this as cumbersome as possible we are really helping ourselves.
Angela Neale, partner, Comptons Solicitors, London NW1
