53 / 140
JUNE, 1925]
The Gazette of the Incorporated Law Society of Ireland.
Four Courts shall be rebuilt to be used as
Courts of Justice, and until this question is
definitely decided, it is impossible for the
Incorporated Law Society
to have any
permanent home, as the Council feel that,
if the Four Courts be rebuilt as Courts, the
Society's Buildings at
the Four Courts
should also be rebuilt. After long negotia–
tions, correspondence and interviews with
the Minister of Finance and with
the
Chairman and representatives of the Board
of Works, we hope that a private residence,
situate close to where we now are, will be
in the very near future placed at our disposal
for our temporary occupation pending a
decision on the question of the rebuilding of
the Four Courts.
The
house
contains
extensive accommodation which will enable
us to carry on most of our work in a more
satisfactory manner than hitherto.
The
house has been inspected by a Committee of
the Council, and when certain repairs have
been done and fittings put in, we hope to
move into our new temporary quarters.
In reference to this, I may say that we
have
acquired,
both by donation
and
purchase, a very considerable library of new
books. We have purchased the Law Reports
belonging to Mr. Justice Pim, lately Judge
of the King's Bench Division. We shall now
be able to have the use of these books, as
up to the present we had no sufficient
accommodation for them.
A new room for the exclusive use of
Solicitors has been provided in the Castle,
near Court No. 6, and we believe that this
room will be of great use to members of the
profession.
During the last six months the rights to
pensions or compensation for loss of office,
of Solicitors to those Urban or Rural District
Councils which it is proposed by the Local
Government Bill, now the Local Govern–
ment Act, 1925, to abolish, have been safe–
guarded, and they remain as they were under
the previous Act of 1919.
The Council desire to acknowledge the
help given to them in this matter; and
amongst others by Captain W. A. Redmond,
T.D., and Senator S. L. Brown, K.C., and I
would wish to say that our Secretary followed
up this matter with the greatest skill and
tenacity
in
the
face of opposition and
discouragement.
Now, in reference to the Rules of the High
Court. The Rule-making Authority has had
numerous meetings, and the Rules are now
in print and probably have been already
furnished to the Minister of Justice. At one
of the last of the meetings the Chief Justice
asked me to prepare a Schedule of Costs for
the work to be done under the new Rules, and
this I agreed to do, feeling that with expert
advice this Council could produce a reasonable
and satisfactory Schedule. A Sub-Committee
of the Council, consisting of Mr. Seales, Dr.
Quirke and Mr. Moore, are all engaged in
this work, and I think special thanks are due
to Mr. Seales, who undertook the main
responsibility in this matter. The Rules, as
a whole, are not such as I would consider
satisfactory, but I think I am justified in
saying that they are tentative, and it may be
found necessary hereafter to modify them.
In connection with the Land Act of 1923,
under which Act allocations are now taking
place, I would wish to remind the profession
that it
is necessary both
in
their own
interests and in the interests of their clients
that they should keep full entries for the
purpose of enabling the clients to establish
a claim for assistance out of the costs fund.
The question of costs under the 1923 Act
has engaged the serious attention of the
Council, and for the present I do not think
it necessary to say anything more about the
matter.
Rules both for the Circuit Court and the
District Court are in draft, and are receiving
the consideration of
the respective Com–
mittees appointed to prepare them.
In conclusion,
I wish
to
tender our
heartiest thanks to the President and Council
of the Royal College of Surgeons for their
continued kindness to our Society in per–
mitting us to use their premises for lectures
and examinations.
Council Meetings.
6th May.
Seventeen Members present.
Court of Examiners.
A report was submitted upon two applica–
tions under Section 16 ;
one was granted,
the other was refused.