The Gazette 1973

IMPORTANT NOTICE TO APPRENTICES

AND INTENDING APPRENTICES

Limitation of places in Law Faculty University College

Dublin

The Council have been informed that owing to the

number of students seeking admission to the Law

Faculty in University College, Dublin, it is necessary

to impose a quota on admissions. It is a condition

precedent to entry for the Society's professional exam-

inations that the candidate should have attended the

law faculty of an Irish university either as a degree

or a non-degree student. These lectures are in the law

of real property, contract and tort for the first law

examination and equity for the second law examination.

Apprentices and intending apprentices should note the

following matters :

(a) A student will not be admitted to the first Irish

or the Preliminary Examination unless he produces a

petition and memorial s'gned by himself and by the

intended master who is qualified to accept him as an

apprentice.

(b) Students are advised to ensure that they will be

admitted to a place in the Law Faculty of an Irish

University before registering indentures of apprentice-

ship.

the Society's First Law Examination until he has pro-

duced a certificate of credit from a University for

attendance at lectures in the Law of Property, the Law

of Contract and the Law of Tort and will not be

admitted to the Second Law Examination until he has

produced a certificate of credit for attendance at

lectures on Equity.

The quota for degree entry to the Faculty of Law

at U.C.D. is approximately 140. In addition to this the

College authorities are prepared to- allot a quota of 30

places for non-degree entrants for solicitors' appren-

tices. Fifteen of the thirty places will be filled by the

College from students who qualify from the Matricula-

tion or Leaving Certificate in order of merit. The

remaining fifteen places will be filled by nomination

from the Law Society*.

The fifteen Law Society places will be filled in die

following order. First from apprentices already serving

under indentures by date of registration. Next from

applicants for service under indentures in the order of

lodgment of the petition and memorial provided that

the candidates have passed the first Irish and Pre-

liminary Examinations or obtained exemption from the

Preliminary Examination.

The Society has not been informed of any limitation

or quota for entry into the Law Faculties at other

colleges.

Any apprentice at present serving under indentures

who has not already obtained a place in a university

law faculty as a degree or non-degree student and who

wishes to be included in the Law Society's nomination

list should write at once to the Society giving the date

and other particulars of his- indentures of apprentice-

ship.

An apprentice who registers indentures without first

reserving a place in a university law faculty may later

be unavoidably postponed from entry for the Society's

examinations in law until he has obtained such a place.

NEW SCOTS COURTS SYSTEM

A new svstem of "Justices' Courts", to replace J P and

Burgh Courts after the reorganisation of local govern-

ment in May, 1975, is proposed for Scotland in a

Government White Paper.

The Government proposes to take responsibility for

administering the first level of summary justice out of

the hands of local authorities. In Burgh Courts at

present cases are heard by one lay magistrate, who is

a senior member of the town council.

The new courts will be an integral part of the

svstem of Crown Courts, as a junior partner to the

Sheriff Court and the High Court. They will, however,

retain the Scottish tradition of laymen taking part in

the process of criminal justice.

Each will consist of a bench of three Lay Justices,

appointed by the Secretary of State for Scotland on

behalf of the Queen, and serving without payment.

The Justices will be appointed for each new local

authority district in much the same way as members of

children's panels. They will be selected from all sections

of the community, and, the White Paper emphasises,

political party membership will be disregarded.

The Justices' Court will have a wider jurisdiction than

the existing JP and Burgh Courts. It will be able to try

road traffic offences such as speeding and careless

driving, and a wider range of common law offences.

The maximum power of fine will normally be £100,

and the maximum custodial sentence 60 days.

The more serious road traffic offences will continue

to be heard by the Sheriff, and, although able to endorse

driving licences, the Justices' Court will not have power

to disqualify from driving.

In the larger centres of population the Government

intends to appoint Stipendiary Magistrates, paid by the

Secretary of State, to help to cope with the heavier

burden of work in Justices' Courts.

{The Guardian

30/3/1973)

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