The Gazette 1992

GAZETTF

OCTOBER 1992

Law Firms in Europe

Edited by John Pritchard, Legalease

Europe, London 1992, 488pp. 1992,

£29 Paperback.

The world as we know it today could

hardly function without lawyers.

However, lawyers have always been

unpopular figures. It was Dick the

Butcher who proclaimed in a

drunken state in Henry VI Part II:

" The first thing we do, let's kill all

the lawyers". Hamlet in the

graveyard held up the skull of a

lawyer and spoke to Horatio about

the tricks of the lawyers. We survive.

We battle on. We all endeavour to

give the best possible service to our

clients.

Law Firms in Europe

is essentially

an introductory guide to the major

law firms throughout Europe. The

book combines a mixture of factual

information and personal comment.

Each chapter falls into two distinct

sections: directory and editorial. The

directory section for each country is

made up of professional information

such as the total number of lawyers

and the location of offices -

supplied by relevant firms and

approved by them prior to

publication. In addition to this

factual information, the publishers

have included their own editorial

commentary. The editorial sections

include a general review of firms

performing particular types of work

and a review of firms which are

generally recognised to have a good

reputation within the national and

international legal community. The

publishers have stated that in

reaching opinions about law firms

they have been largely influenced by

the confidential opinions expressed

to them by many lawyers. Over a

thousand lawyers contributed

indirectly to the editorial sections

either by letter or telephone

conversation.

In the context of Ireland, the

publishers write of the "big five"

Dublin law firms but state that the

big firms' monopoly of top-tier

work has been eaten into by a

number of medium-sized firms that

are clearly ambitious to close the gap

between themselves and the "big

five". Interestingly, the editorial

states that Irish law firms have been

thriving in recent years with many

firms doubling in size in the past

five years.

Law Firms in Europe

is a useful

guide to the leading law firms

throughout Europe. Lawyers who

have an eye on the mainland

continent of Europe and the United

Kingdom could usefully peruse the

pages of this book.

Eamonn G. Hall

Compulsory Purchase and

Compensation in Ireland:

Law and Practice

By McDermott & Woulfe,

Butterworths, Irish Property Series,

Dublin 1992, 397pp. Hardback.

This book represents a first venture

into the complex area of compulsory

purchase of land in Ireland.

That the law has evolved into a

tangled bramble bush of procedures, *

is perhaps a failure on the part of

legislators to tackle the whole issue

as a single problem, requiring

consolidating legislation.

The book is divided into two

sections. The first part by Professor

Richard Woulfe,

considers all aspects

of compulsory acquisition up to the

formulation of a claim for

compensation and picking up the

procedure again from the conclusion

of the claim either on settlement,

following negotiation, or on

completion of the arbitration

process. It ends with the transfer of

ownership to the acquiring authority

and the payment of compensation to

the owner.

The second part by Mr. McDermott,

deals with the compensation to be

paid to the owner for the

expropriation of his property or for

the deprivation of certain of his

rights over property.

Practitioners have yearned for such a

reference book for many years; until

now having to rely on old notes or

counsel's opinions. It is a most

welcome addition to the book shelf

and will survive as a standard text

book for so long as the present laws

remain and that should see us into

the next millenium and the years

beyond.

Justin McKenna

Human Rights &

Constitutional Law

Essays in Honour of Brian Walsh:

James O'Reilly (Editor) The Round

Hall Press, Dublin 1992, 384pp.

£47.50 Hardback.

Festschrifts are rare events in Irish

legal writing. It is a curious though

welcome coincidence that the volumes

honouring two of our most

distinguished judges both in the

national and international scene

should be published almost

contemporaneously. The volume

dedicated to Mr. Justice O'Higgins

has already been reviewed in these

pages (

Gazette

) and this tribute to Mr.

Justice Walsh must also receive a

generous welcome.

The range of topics and contributors

is extremely wide. Not only do the

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