13 / 70
JUNE, 1919]
The Gazette oi the Incorporated Law Society ot Ireland.
All of them had received a circular signed
by him with reference to the memorial it
was proposed to erect to the Solicitors and
Apprentices who had fallen in the war. The
response to that circular, on the whole, had
been satisfactory- They ha:! up to that day
received the sum >f £275 Us. They could not
decide on the nature or design of the memorial
until
the}' knew what
funds would be
available, and he, therefore, asked all those
who had not already subscribed to forward
their subscriptions at once, as they would like
to put the work in hands.
The members, no doubt, had all followed
with interest the Barristers and Solicitors
(Qualification for Women) Bill which had
recently passe I through the House of Lords
It provided fur the admission of women as
students of the Inns of Court, and being
called to the Bar and practising as barristers
and as solicitors under the Solicitors-Act.
This bill did not extend to Ireland. They in
Ireland were asked by the Lord Chancellor
what their attitude would be in the event of
an amendment being proposed in the House
of Commons making the Bill applicable to
the Solicitors' profession in Ireland, and the
Council decided to reply that there would be
no objection on behalf of the Society, pro–
vided the amendment included the admission
of women to practice in Ireland as Barristers
as well as Solicitors (hear, hear). When one
considered the devotion and self-sacrifice of
women in the service of the nation and the
Empire during the years of stress and trial,
how they volunteered to help to fill, and
showed themselves capable of filling,
the
places of men who had gone to serve their
country on the battlefield, he did not think
the Council, as reasonable men, could have
come to any other decision, and he trusted
that when he addressed
them at
their
next meeting the Act, with the suggested
amendment, would have become law, and
that they would be in a position to welcome
women as members of the profession (hear,,
hear).
The question of the amalgamation of the
two branches of the legal profession had
recently been considered by the English Law
Society, and a referendum of the members of
the Society taken upon it, with the result
that a large majority of those voting recorded
their votes against it. The Council of this
Society had had this subject from time to
time under their consideration. So far back
as the year 1885 the matter was fully gone
into, and the}' entered into communication
with, and obtained reports from, practically
every
civilised country in the world which
had a judicial system, including the different
States in America, France, Spain, Denmark,
Norway, and all over the self-governing
Colonies.
The Society of the day decided
that amalgamation would not be in the
interest of the profession. As late as October,
1915,
the Council again considered
the
question and decided against it.
It was
brought before
them recently by some
members of
this Society.
The Council
considered this a matter of great importance
to the profession as a whole, and in questions
of this kind they believed that they had a
duty outside the members of the Society.
He wished that every member of the pro–
fession was a member of this Society (hear,
hear).
It would add greatly to its power,
and it was much to be regretted that so many
Solicitors did not join ; but, as he said before,
in considering questions of this kind they
looked to the interests of every Solicitor,
whether he was a member of this Society or
not (hear, hear). They accordingly entered
into communication with the Northern Law
Society and the Southern Law Association,
and held a special meeting of the Council on
the 2nd of April, which was attended by
representatives of both these organisations,
as well as by other provincial delegates.
The representatives of the Northern Society
informed them that they had held a general
meeting of
their Society
to discuss the
matter, and had made inquiries in several
important
towns
from
the
Solicitors
practising there, with the result that only a
small proportion appeared to be in favour of
amalgamation. The Southern Law Associa–
tion passed a unanimous resolution against
it.
The matter was fully debated at the
Council meeting, and it was referred to a
Committee to consider all the facts and
arguments which had been brought before
tho Council, and to report. The Committee
hai held several meetings, and they reported
thit the}' did not find any general desire
among the members of the profession for