The Gazette 1940-44

December, 1942]

The Gazette of the Incorporated Law Society of Ireland

31

from its members and I do not think that the amount should deter anyone from joining. I would, therefore, particularly ask all members to impress on any Solicitor who is not a member, the real desirability of his joining, and more particularly, would I ask members to impress on their apprentices who are nearly out of their time that, as a matter of loj'alty, they owe it to the Society who has done so much for them during their apprenticeship, to become members and pay their annual subscription. There is another matter to which, perhaps, I should refer, and that is the question of the new Solicitors' Bill, which is now practic ally in its final form. You have just heard the minutes of the last Special Meeting of the members of the Society read and signed. At that meeting a few minor suggestions were made for further improvements in the Bill and these suggestions have all been considered and some of them have been put to Counsel to see if there is any practical difficulty in the way of their acceptance. Subject to this, I think it may be said that the Bill is in its final form, so far as the Society is concerned. It will go before the new Council at a very early stage and, as you know, the General Meeting has directed that the Council should then take such further steps as it may think right or proper to endeavour to have this Bill put through both Houses and passed into law. You are already familiar with its main provisions and all I would like to say is that we hope and believe that if and when the Bill becomes law it will tend to the better regulation of the Profession as a whole and will give an added protection to the members of the public who are our clients. The Report which you have in your hands deals very fully with most of the other matters that came before the Council during its year of office and I do not think that I can add very much to what is set out therein. Another point I should, perhaps, refer to is the overcrowding of the profession. It is a matter of common knowledge that the Solicitors' profession is attracting to its ranks more newcomers than it can possibty absorb. Newly qualified Solicitors are finding it increasingly difficult to obtain employment

or, if they set up on their own to acquire a practice, sufficient to provide for running expenses and leave any adequate margin. Such overcrowding, in the view of the Council, is not * good from a professional point of view and is definitely bad from the point of view of the pubTic, but is even worse from the point of view of the new comers and their parents. The latter have incurred very heavy expenses in payment of apprenticeship fees, stamp duty and licence fees, and it must be very disheartening when, at last their sons are qualified, to find that there is no opening before them. I know that many other professions are com plaining also of overcrowding but I would strongly urge parents to give this question their most serious consideration before decid ing to make Solicitors of their sons. What the public hardly realise is the very heavy expenses which Solicitors have to incur in maintaining office staffs, etc., and from my own experience I can say that between 60 and 70 per cent, of the professional fees earned is absorbed in payment of such overhead expenses. Before I close I would like to say how much we will miss Dr. Quirke from the Council. It came as a great shock to me to learn that he was not allowing his name to go before the members for election. He has served the Society faithfully and well for many years and his fellow members on the Council were always deeply appreciative of his sound judgment and ripe experience which he so willingly placed at their disposal. ~ I do not propose to delay you any longer, but have great pleasure in moving that the Council's Report for the year be adopted. Mr. Hayes seconded the adoption of the Report which was carried unanimously. The Press, having withdrawn by request, Mr. McLoughlin, Mr. P. C. Moore and Mr. Grynn addressed the Meeting on domestic matters. Mr. W. S. Hayes, having been moved to the Chair, Dr. T. G. Quirke proposed that the best thanks of the Society be given to the President for his distinguished services to the profession during his year of office.