The Gazette 1993

GAZETTE

JAN/FEB 1993 '

B

K

W

to compliance with judgments of the European Court of Human Rights and the decisions of the Committee of Ministers is reviewed in some detail. Articles also consider and review the decisions on the European Convention on Human Rights and the Court of Justice of the European Communities during 1991 together with United Kingdom material on international law. This is an expensive book. It is a book for the specialist in international law, who will derive much benefit from its publication.

bail for a person. She says in relation to going bail, if in doubt - don't. I am sure that her approach to this has been influenced by her time on the bench when she probably came across persons who were surprised when they lost money as a result of going bail. The chapter on marriage gives details of the status of people who are married and the various rights which follow, but in her good advice on the transfer of the family home into joint names there are errors in relation to stamp duty and inheritance tax and spouses in so far as she has overlooked the exemptions in the Family Home Protection Act, 1976 and the Finance Act, 1990, which, no doubt, will be corrected in later editions. This chapter which also deals with the legal position of the marriage of divorced persons is very appropriate in this day and age. She also makes the point that marriage invalidates a will (unless made in contemplation thereof) which is often something the lay person is not aware of and thus it is no harm to bring it to the attention of the reader. In her chapter on living together, she points out that the law really says very little about this and strongly advises that people entering into this type of relationship should have a simple agreement to provide for their split up, which is, of course, very sound advice. In situations such as this, she strongly recommends that the persons involved should make a will, and points out the pitfalls of entering into such a relationship, in particular, that the benefits of the family law legislation in relation to barring and maintenance does not protect the unmarried person. I found her style of writing most readable and humorous and indeed, the style reminded me of a well known. Irish novelist and journalist,

The British Year Book of " International Law 1991

By Ian Brownlie and D. O. Bowett, (editors), Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1991, ix -I- 744pp, £90 sterling, hardback. We belong to a family of nations whose relations are governed by international law. We should be grateful to those who have worked in the international legal landscape. Much has been done, particularly since the end of the second world war, to establish a new international order. Those lawyers who have contributed to, for example, the Legal Committee of the United Nations General Assembly, the Geneva Law of the Sea Conferences, the International Court of Justice, the European Commission and Court of Human Rights and, of course, the institutions of the European Communities deserve our thanks. Professor Ian Brownlie is one of the editors of this Year Book, now in its 62nd year of issue. It has been stated that the outstretched hand, searching for guidance on any matter of public international law, usually first reaches for Brownlie's Principles of Public International Law, now in its fourth edition. The jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice in the case brought by Nicaragua against the United States in respect of military and paramilitary activities on Nicaraguan territory (ICJ Reports, 1984 and 1986) is considered in considerable detail by Professor D.W. Greig, Professor of Law at the Australian National University, Canberra. The theme of human rights features prominently in the Year Book. The experience of the United Kingdom between 1975 and 1987 in relation

Dr. Eamonn G. Hall

Talking To Your Solicitor

by Mary Kotsonouris, Gill & McMillan, 1992, 98pp, £4.99, paperback.

Mary Kotsonouris as a former practising solicitor and former judge of the District Court is eminently qualified to write a book such as this. The book comprising fifteen chapters deals with various topics of the law such as: making a will, bereavement, marriage, living together, trouble with the neighbours and, indeed, how to make a complaint against your solicitor. There are other practical topics and the last chapter of the book contains addresses and telephone numbers of useful services and also contains a glossary giving simple explanations of the meaning of legal words. In the chapter on 'The Arm of the Law,' she gives some examples about the way in which a normally law abiding person can get involved with the Gardai. She gives good practical advice about, say, being a witness in court or, more importantly, going

18