The Gazette 1994

G A Z E T TE

M AY 1994

N E W S

Ou t l ook Pos i t i ve says Law Soc i e ty Pres ident

Addressing a recent parchment ceremony, at which 55 newly- qualified solicitors were admitted to the Roll, the President of the Law Society, Michael V. O'Mahony, said

solicitors to keep up-to-date and to avail of the Continuing Legal Education Courses run by the Law Society. He said that on the passing of the Bill the Society would be empowered to introduce a programme of mandatory Continuing The President emphasised that the solicitors' profession was and should always be a collegiate profession and said that, in particular, he was concerned that sole practitioners would never feel that they had no one to turn to if they had a problem. He urged them to consult with colleagues or to approach the Society for assistance, early rather than later, if they felt the need for it. The President of the Society also paid tribute to Professor Richard Woulfe , Director of Education in the Society's Law School, who would be retiring in June 1994 after sixteen years service to the profession. Professor Woulfe, he said, was seen by those who came into contact with him as above all a fair man, a man of honour and a man of intellect. He congratulated Professor Woulfe on Legal Education similar to that already operating in the UK.

the manner in which he had served the profession and students over his long period of service with the Law Society. Addressing the newly-qualified solicitors, the President of the High Court, the Hon. Mr. Justice Liam Hamilton, told them that the practice of law was a most satisfying profession because the order of society centered around the administration of law with justice. He urged them to give their clients every consideration and assistance. As young solicitors they had a world of opportunity before them, but their objective and the objective of everyone involved in the administration of justice should primarily always be to serve the community. "Never forget that your primary role is to serve justice and to attempt to ensure that everybody gets an equal opportunity. Fair play should be your guiding principle," he said. Hp asked the newly-qualified solicitors to honour the trust that was being placed in them and said that if they did so they would be playing a vital role in achieving a better society for all. •

that recent positive economic forecasts augured well for an

expansion in the business sector and thus in demand for legal services. He told the newly-qualified solicitors

that they were entering the profession at a positive and

challenging time. The debate on the Solicitors (Amendment) Bill, 1994, was entering its final stages in Dáil Eireann and, when enacted, would provide a revised statutory framework for the development of the profession over the coming decades. The President said that transparency was the bye-word of the 90s, meaning that procedures would have to be in place that would assure the public that the manner in which the Society performed its regulatory functions and the manner in which solicitors provided legal services was fair and reasonable. The profession should react positively to changes aimed at achieving those ends.

He urged the newly-qualified

Doyle Court Repor ters Principal: Ái ne O'Far rell

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