I’m going to be a little controversial this week, so apologies in advance as I don’t intend to offend anyone.
I had a hospital appointment this week with a consultant. Google tells me that a consultant doctor is the most senior medical specialist.
In the legal sector, I think of a consultant solicitor as someone coming close to retirement after putting in many years of hard slog to become specialised in a particular area.
But not any more. There are so many consultant solicitors that the phrase is losing its long-established meaning.
As I come close to retirement, do I want to be a consultant in my firm? Does it still mean what I think it means?
When you have a paralegal in a firm who can easily move over to become a consultant, knowing that said paralegal has only a few years’ experience, we need to be certain that there is adequate supervision and training.
To me, as a member of the public, seeing a consultant in the hospital meant I was seeing someone older, experienced and worthy of my trust.
But what does consultancy in conveyancing mean to the public?
This column is written by a real high street conveyancer who wishes to remain anonymous. The views expressed are those of the author and not those of Today’s Conveyancer.
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