The Gazette 1993

GAZETTE

IMNAGEMN JUNE 1993

did not get its jet engine mainten- ance right. Equally it is my firm belief that one of the true marks of quality in the larger practices is that they will never allow a client to find a Tippex mark or a mis- spelling on correspondence or on documentation and therefore make the unfair assumption that they are, for example, bad conveyancers. 6. Visit your commercial clients. If a client has a problem about a right of way at his premises or a faulty machine, visit the scene and see for yourself. You do not need to profess any technical expertise but at least the client will be happy that you are taking a real- interest and not just dealing with the matter on paper. It is equally surprising how much new business you will get if you are on the spot and can be consulted on other matters.

8. Consultation facilities. In

10. Advertising. Do not spend one penny on advertising (if you are so inclined) without being satisfied with your quality system. Using client satisfaction to drive referral business is far cheaper than adver- tising for new business. Statistics show that if a client perceives good service he will speak highly of it to 8 or 10 people, but if he perceives poor service he will criticise it to 10 to 12 people. Lawyers as a group world-wide endure a poor public image and it will always be so. "The Law is an Ass" and we are the messengers of that animal and it is the messenger that clients tend to shoot. This public misconception can be used to great effect by being different and establishing your practice as a quality organisation will allow your clients say with pride to others that "my solicitor is ; different". Brian O 'Reilly is Senior Partner with B. P. O 'Reilly & Company, Solicitors, Tallaght, County Dublin, a practising Notary Public, a member of the Institute of Chartered Arbitrators, and is joint consultant to the Law School on office management. • \ The Profession in the | Media (Continued from page 171) shortage of High Court judges. In the ! article in the Independent, a spokesperson for the Society said that a I lack of judges was just one aspect of | the problem and that a general lack of | resources and funding of the courts system also contributed to the delays. I Finally, the President of the Law Í Society, was interviewed on the RTE ! TV 6 pm news and 6.30 pm radio news j on 3 June, 1993, in response to a motion by the DSBA about overcrowd- ing in the profession. Raymond I Monahan said that the profession was ! now at saturation point and the question had to be asked whether it was fair to allow people to engage in expensive | and lengthy professional training when there was scant likelihood of a job at the end of the process. • ' j

consultation on a one-to-one basis with clients, do not use your office desk as a barrier - have two or three comfortable consultation chairs in front of the desk and sit in one of them facing the client directly.

9. Encourage clients to complain! Now there's a novelty. Another mark of quality driven

organisations is that they actively encourage their clients to talk about their perception of service and whether or not it was delivered in accordance with their expectations. This is based on the simple premise: how can you as a practitioner know that there is something wrong with the delivery of your service if you do not ask? Many clients who perceive poor service may simply drift away from your firm without saying anything. Encouraging clients to discuss their perceptions on conclusion of a case will help you to learn your strengths and weaknesses and do something about them.

7. Quality statement. Every firm

should have a quality statement and this should be published prominently in the reception area for clients to read.

Apprent iceship

If a practitioner completes a document which avers that an apprentice has attended at the office or has gained experience in certain areas of practice where this is subsequently found not to be the case such conduct may be viewed as a disciplinary matter and that solicitor may be referred to the Registrar's Committee. In the same way, a student who improperly or inaccurately represents that s/he will complete or has completed a full-time apprenticeship may be brought before the Education Committee. It may then report to the President of the High Court that the apprentice is not, in its opinion, a fit and proper person to be admitted as a solicitor. •

There is now a considerable time-lag between the date a student becomes eligible to enter the Law School and entry on the Professional Course. (See note on page 151 of May, 1993 Gazette). It is timely to remind practitioners en- titled to take apprentices that the 1954 Solicitors Act requires an apprentice to serve a bona fide apprenticeship during the whole term of indentures. The period of training in a solicitor's office and apprenticeship should reap benefits for both apprentice and master. This is possible only if the apprentice is engaged full-time in meaningful legal work in the master's office. This is, indeed, the requirement not merely of the Solicitors Acts but also of the contract of "Indentures of Apprenticeship".

Education Committee.

; Barbara Cahalane

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