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GAZETTE
SEPTEMBER 1979
note in this regard that the equality of primary quali-
fication in no way inhibits specialisation by Trial Lawyers
and others.
One of the functions I attended was the Annual
Banquet of the American College of Trial Lawyers. This
group can only be joined by invitation and is restricted to
not more than 2% of the attorneys practising in any State.
It is regarded as a matter of considerable prestige to be
invited to join this College, and a number of new invitees
were formally inducted on the night in question.
Again, however, there is no sense of separation of the
Trial Lawyers or other specialists from the remainder of
the Profession, and the general atmosphere between the
Bench and the members of the Association appears to be
very good.
A further matter of interest in relation to the Bench is
the system of nomination of judges which, I understand,
now operates in most States. Most States have a Judicial
Nominations Commission which nominates a given
number of persons, between three and seven, for each
judicial appointment over a certain level.
The Judicial Nominations Commission for New York
State has just nominated seven persons for the shortly to
be vacated post of Chief Judge of New York and the
Governor of New York must, between the 1st and the
15th January, 1980, select one from the nomianted list to
be the new Chief Judge.
Judges at this level are appointed for a fourteen year
term, and are eligible for re-appointment. They must,
however, retire at 70 years of age, even if they reach that
age before the expiration of their term.
One Seminar which I attended had the interesting title,
"Your Clients — Love Them or They'll Leave You". The
opening speaker of the seminar made an almost
evangelical appeal to those present to love their clients,
saying that it was much better for business if one could
manage it.
1 was a little reminded of my own address at the last
Presentation of Parchments at which, while not going as
far as suggesting that we should love our clients, I did, at
least, urge our newly admitted colleagues to have respect
for their clients.
Another Seminar was entitled "Terrorism & Violence
— Tools for Legal and Social Change". This meeting was
addressed by Leon Uris and Jill Uris the well-known
authors of "Ireland — A Terrible Beauty". A young
Dublin Barrister called David Byrne was one of the
panelists having, apparently, been invited by the
American Young Lawyers Society. 'While there were
some oblique references to Ireland, the main discussion
was in relation to Arab/Israeli affairs, and some
interesting views were expressed.
An interesting feature of the Conference was that it
included no less than half a dozen special mini
conferences of different kinds of Judges, including an
Appelate Judges Conference, a Conference of
Administrative Law Judges and Conferences of Federal
Trial Judges, Special Court Judges, State Trial Judges
and Judges of the National Judicial College.
I attended an open session of the A.B.A. Standing
Committee on Lawyers Title Guarantee Funds. The
direction in which the A.B.A. is endeavouring to push
American Lawyers in relation to Title Insurance is to
persuade local Bar Associations to accept what they call
Bar Related Title Assuring Organisations. In other words,
the Lawyers in each State or district are being urged to
establish their own co-operative broking organisation to
provide title insurance where clients want it, so as to
ensure that as far as possible all such title insurance is
provided through the Profession, and not by clients going
directly to an outside broker or insurance company.
This operation is working well, and I understand that
the view is gaining ground among the public that it is safer
to have your Lawyer carry out title insurance for you,
even if the cost is somewhat more than going directly to a
title insurance company.
I attended a number of other meetings and detailed dis-
cussions, but I do not think that there is a great deal of
point in setting them out in detail in this report. What I
would like to refer to, however, is my overall impression
of the Law and its power in the United States, and the
way in which the A.B.A. as the principal Legal
Organisation in America sees its own future.
The A.B.A. celebrated its Centenary in 1978, and as
of the date of the Conference this year, its membership for
the first time exceeded 250,000 Lawyers, representing
about 55% of all duly qualified Lawyers in the United
States.
The A.B.A. has set up a special committee to organise
very substantial funds for what they call "The Second
Century".
The objective of this special fund is quite openly to
promote the Profession, and its power and influence in the
community in every possible way, and it appears that an
undertaking has been given that any money subscribed to
the "Second Century Fund" will not be applied in any
way towards the ordinary expenses of running the
A.B.A., but will be applied towards a selected number of
publicity, promotional and educational projects, with the
direct and openly acknowledged objective of increasing
the power and influence of the Legal Profession.
It is expected that in the first year of the Fund the
Committee will raise $10m. for these purposes.
I feel that, at some stage, we should consider whether
any projects could be designed to improve the image and
standing of our Profession in Ireland. If realistic projects
could be devised, they would certainly deserve the
support of the Profession. We have, of course, in the
Kings Hospital an important project, and I am convinced
that it will make a major contribution in future years to
the image and standing of the Profession.
I think that the visit of myself and my wife to the
United States and our meeting with all the major men in
the American Bar Association and their wives, created
considerable goodwill, and certainly helps to establish the
Legal Profession in this country in the minds of the
principal persons in the American Bar Association.
We found a great deal of goodwill towards Ireland, and
interest in its affairs generally. I feel myself that the visit
was well worthwhile from our Profession's point of view,
and. I am very glad that I had the honour of representing
our Profession at the Conference. I would like to express
my thanks to the Council for sending my wife and I to
represent them, and I hope that we did so in a satisfactory
way.
Finely, along with the other visiting Presidents, and
the Chairman of the Bar Council of England and Wales, I
was made an honorary member of the American Bar
Association, and 1 propose to display my certificate
proudly in the President's flat.
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