THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Saturday, June 29, 1996               TAG: 9606280026
SECTION: FRONT                   PAGE: A10  EDITION: FINAL 
TYPE: Letter 
                                            LENGTH:   41 lines

DON'T MANDATE ATTORNEYS FOR CLOSINGS

I read with interest your recent published guest column entitled ``Virginia Law Targets Real-Estate-Settlement Kickbacks.'' Mr. Birmiel has written a concise explanation of House Bill 1229, which Lawyers Title Insurance Corporation supported.

There is a more interesting aspect of Mr. Birmiel's letter, however, than that of the anti-kickback bill. Your paper identified Mr. Birmiel as a director of the Virginia Real Estate Attorneys League. VaReal is a group of private real-estate attorneys formed in 1995 to influence state legislation. One of VaReal's focal points has been to restrict Virginia real-estate settlements to attorneys and to exclude lay settlement companies and title companies, even those who may have attorneys on staff.

Presently, those members of the bar who wish to lock out everyone but attorneys from conducting real-estate closings are pushing the issue on two fronts - an unauthorized practice of law opinion which would declare Virginia real-estate closings to be the exclusive province of lawyers, or through legislative means. Success on either of these fronts would be a serious detriment to the citizens of the commonwealth.

Lawyers Title Insurance Corporation conducts hundreds of settlements a year for Virginia homebuyers and those refinancing their mortgages, and thousands more across the nation. Consumers may use Lawyers Title due to favorable pricing or our unique ability to safeguard their funds at settlement. To deny a customer the right to choose a settlement entity would be unfair. Why mandate that they use an attorney?

I am pleased to note that Mr. Birmiel recognizes that the consumer should be able to make a choice, and that ``consumers must exercise their freedom to shop for these services, and ask questions about price and services.'' I hope that other members of the Virginia Bar, particularly those in VaReal, will share Mr. Birmiel's enlightened beliefs.

Frank T. McCormick

Senior Vice President

and Regional Manager

Lawyers Title Insurance Corp.

Richmond, June 11, 1996 by CNB