The Gazette 1976

N O V E M B E R

1976

G A Z E T T E

PRESENTATION OF PARCHMENTS

only I understand about sixty four Judicial Personnel available for the administration of Justice from District Court to Supreme Court level and it is quite clear that no re-organisation of the Courts will be sufficient un- less accompanied by an adequate increase in Judicial Personnel to man the additional Courts and help clear the backlog and maintain an up-to-date, efficient and economic service so necessary for the public generally. Apart from the excellent work done over the years by the Committee on Court Practice and Procedure, there has been no specific investigation or enquiry into the overall organisation and re-organisation of our Courts. In my view there is an urgent need for re-examination of the present structures and an extension of the ser- vices presently available. It is recognised that our Judi- ciary and our Court Officials are making a valuable contribution within the limits of the structures at their disposal. 2. Briefly I will now mention some matters in the non-contentious area of legal practice. The provision of legal services by the Dublin Corporation and Dublin County Council is of concern to all and in particular the sealing of documents, the availability of Titles, the registration of Titles and the provision of Title in the large areas for building development recently acquired by the Dublin Corporation. The staff of the Legal Departments while most co-operative and helpful, can only operate within the limitations of personnel avail- able to them. In this connection the decision of the Corporation to employ Firms of Solicitors in private practice to deal with certain aspects of their activities is noted with satisfaction. The compulsory Registration of Titles by Local Authorities has indeed added to the burdens in this area. Land Registry This perennial topic is always with us and will no doubt be on our Agenda for a number of years to come- The Compulsory Registration Provisions of the Regis- tration of Titles Act, 1964 which came into operation on the 1st January 1967 has only been extended to three Counties, Carlow, Laois and Meath and it is un- likely that there will be any further extension of com- pulsory registration to other Counties until there is a solution of the many problems that still beset the Land Registry system. It is only right to say that the Regis- trar of Titles and his Officials are doing their best with the personnel, and space at their disposal. The Mapping situation which is the foundation of a Land Registration system is engaging special attention, and there appears to be no immediate hope of the Land Registry Map being annexed to the Certificates of Title or official copies of Folios in the foreseeable future- It is understood that large sums of public money must be expended if the system is to be equated to the service it is intended to give. Another comment is the imposition of Land Registry fees on Purchasers in addition to the burden of heavy Stamp Duties at the three and four per cent levels. There appears to be no reason why there should not be a substantial reduction in these areas, and the pres- ent discrimination between Purchasers of new houses and secondhand houses is an anomaly which should be examined especially where secondhand houses are pur- chased up to the threshold of say £15,000. There is no reason why the Land Registry should be a self- supporting system thereby imposing an unneccessary burden on Purchasers in addition to stamp duty.

At the Presentation of Parchments to newly qualified solicitors in Solicitors Buildings, Four Courts, Dublin on 2nd December 1976, the President, Mr. P. C. Moore, delivered the following address:- Ladies and Gentlemen, it is my privilege to welcome you on this happy and very special occasion. Firstly I must congratulate the students on their achievements and qualifications for entry into the Profession after so many years of hard work and en- deavour. Secondly I congratulate your parents and friends and it must indeed be a great joy for them to join and participate with us in the happiness that an occasion like this creates for all- I welcome you as colleagues into the Solicitors' Pro- fession and I am certain that you will maintain the high professional standards of service and dedication that is the aim and ambition of the Profession to provide ad- equately for all who entrust their problems to our care- It is also usual on an occasion like this to speak on some matters of interest and concern to the Profession and perhaps to the public generally, but only in a limited way, as this is really a social occasion primarily. Suggestions for new entrants To the new entrants into the Profession, I would like to make a few suggestions; (a) If at all possible do not go into practice on your own immediately but instead seek a couple of years experience in an established practice and not necessar- ily in Dublin Offices. There are I understand oppor- tunities for such activities available throughout the country, and you will be well advised to avail of this experience; (b) It is also important that you become a member of your local Association and if setting up practice in Dublin develop an association with the Dublin Sol- icitors' Bar Association and the Young Solicitors Soc- iety; I might say that it is hoped at some future date to provide lectures and discussions on special topics from time to time so that we can all be updated in new and existing Law, and particularly the practice and procedure consequent thereon. It is hardly necessary to indicate that we are living in an ever changing Society and it is not a cliche to say that your student days have not ended but in fact that they are only beginning; On a previous occasion, I indicated the desirability or in fact the necessity for all Young Solicitors to create now their own Library. Your beginnings in this area may be small, but once started it is remarkable how it develops and grows. You will find it an invaluable asset and a source of confidence and strength when confronted with the many problems presented to you for resolution. I will now mention some matters of concern to the Council of your Society and no doubt of considerable importance to the public generally. The provision of adequate Court services at Circuit and High Court Level 1 • With the advent of Civil Aid and Criminal Legal Aid the Council anticipates an escalation in the de- mand for Court services on a more expeditious and less costly basis than that presently available. There are

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