The Gazette 1989

A pril 1989

GAZETTE

Solicitors' Acts, the respective Law Societies have been unable to enter into bilateral reciprocal arrange- ments regarding re-qualification as between the two jurisdictions. A vast amount of goodwill exists on both sides and representatives of both Law Societies meet on a regular basis. However, the EC Directive on the Mutual Recog- nition of Higher Education Diplomas, which was adopted by the Council of Ministers in Brussels on 21 December last, has finally provided the solution for us. Each member state will have 2 years from January 1989 within which to implement the Directive by the end of the current year.

"Dancing with the Dinosaurs" A report on t he Cha r i ty Ball held by t he Irish Solicitors in London Bar Assoc i a t i on by Cl i ona M . O ' Tuama B.C.L., A. I . T . I ., Solicitor, Pres i dent of t he Bar Assoc i a t i on

The Irish Solicitors in London Bar Association, founded just over a year ago, held its first Charity Ball on Saturday 3 June 1989. The Ball was held in the spectacular surroundings of the Dinosaur Hall at the Natural History Museum, South Kensington, London. We were honoured to have as our principal guest the Honourable Mr. Justice Niall McCarthy, who delivered a very witty after-dinner speech. We were also honoured that Maurice Curran travelled especially from Ireland for the event to represent the Incorporated Law Society of Ireland. The Law Society of England and Wales was represented by Bill Blackburn, a Council member and the Chairman of the Society's International Committee. John Randall, the Director of the Professional Standards and Development Directorate of The (English) Law Society also attended. Also present was a most distinguished member of our Assoc i a t i on, Robert Johnston, a retired partner of McCann FitzGerald and the current President of the Confederation Fiscale Europeenne. This Association was founded just over a year ago, principally to enable Irish solicitors on a collective basis to provide an effective lobby to press for progress on the subject of our re-qualification in the jurisdiction of England and Wales. Over the last few years many Irish solicitors have come to practise in England, particularly in London, and this Association now has approxi- mately one hundred and fifty members, all of them practising in London. Indeed, Irish solicitors have helped to alleviate the severe recruitment crisis facing the legal profession in England and all our members have been very well received in this country and have been made feel most welcome by

our respective firms and by the Law Society. Due to the lack of legislative progress in Ireland in making the necessary amendments to the

From left to right: Mr. Robert W. R. Johnston, Mrs. Noelle Anne Curran, Miss Cliona M. O'Tuama, Mr. Maurice R. Curran, Mrs. Meeda Johnston, The Hon. Mr. Justice Niall StJohn McCarthy, Mrs. Barbara McCarthy.

From left to right: John Randall (Director of Professional Standards and Development of the English Law Society) speaking to organising Committee members of the Ball — Anne Counihan, Philip Lee and Cliona O'Tuama (President of ISLBA).

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