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GAZETTE
SEPTEMBER 1990
some 2,228 solicitors representing
1,075 firms participate.
To encourage the generality of
solicitors in practice back into the
area of providing a level of financial
as well as legal services, the Solici-
tors Financial Service was estab-
lished, in association with
Sedgwick Dineen; with effect from
1st May 1989. In its initial year
259 firms have participated and
shared over IR£0.75m in commis-
sion. The Fund should come into its
own with the implementation (from
1st October 1990) of Part IV of the
Insurance Act 1989, which imposes
control on brokers and agents.
PUBL I CA T I ONS
The publication of Irish law books
has been a niche area of Society
activity. Prior to 1970 there was
little in the way of Irish legal
publishing. With the support of the
Arthur Cox Foundation, the
Society's Publications Committee
conducted a programme of book
publications, now totalling some
fifteen books. All but two of the
Society's publications have been
financially successful, with the
result that commercial law
publishers now consider the Irish
market a good risk and are
publishing regularly. The publication
by the Society in 1981 of the 5th
Edition of the Garda Siochana Guide
TOLET
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NORTHSIDE
TEL: 343085
FAX: 348366
pes
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Cooleen House, Rushbrooke,
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Tel: 021-811677 Fax: 021-813009
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represented by far the largest
publishing exercise, and the 6th
Edition is due to be published in the
near future.
F I NALE
As Jim looks back over his 17 years
with the Society by his own high
standards, he will see some failures
tarnishing his matrix of success. As
an administrator and former civil
servant Jim, from a standpoint of
being able to see both sides, strove
for improvement in the State
services to the legal process — not
least the Land Registry, the Office
of the Commissioner of Valuation,
aspects of the Office of the
Revenue Commissioners, and the
various Court Offices. Jim saw
delays in these offices as being
instrumental in damaging public
relations for the profession itself —
clients understandably tended to
blame all delay on the solicitor.
Despite some improvement, delay
in Government agencies, particu-
larly the Land Registry, still presents
major problems for solicitors in
conducting legal business expedit-
iously for their clients. As far as
concerns the Land Registry,
whether the new proposals just
announced by the Minister for
Justice to computerise the Land
Registry and the Registry of Deeds
will offer a solution only time will tell.
Jim's final challenge — the
Solicitors' (Amendment) Bill — will
not have seen the light of day
before he leaves office. Jim and in-
house solicitor, Anna Hegarty, with
a small Council sub-committee
under Maurice Curran, have been
working in close liaison with the
Department of Justice on the
formulation of a number of critical
changes to the Solicitors' Acts
designed to reflect the reality of the
Society's public interest functions
as well as its internal needs. It is
hoped that this Bill will be
introduced before the end of 1990.
When Jim was appointed in
1973 there were some 1,500
solicitors on the Roll. Now there are
in excess of 3,500, to be found not
only in Ireland, but also in London
and Brussels and elsewhere in the
E.C., as well as the United States,
Australia and other common law
countries. Whether the anticipated
numbers qualifying from now on
can be absorbed into the traditional
areas of legal practice is the big
question. With the administrator's
foresight, Jim, together with suc-
cessive Presidents in recent times
has been preaching the necessity
for those now qualifying to have a
wider perspective — not least
reaching into the commercial
world. It is perhaps of significance
that Jim's period of office closes
with the awarding of the first J. P.
O'Reilly Memorial Scholarship to a
young apprentice (Muiris O'Ceidigh)
to fund his attendance at the
M.B.A. degree course in T.C.D. The
object of this annual scholarship,
presented by Dr. Tony O'Reilly,
himself asolicitor who entered the
world of business, is to encourage
the bridging of that very gap
between the world of law and the
world of finance and commerce.
As Jim retires, the thanks of the
profession are due to him for his
untiring zeal, effort and leadership
during the past 17 years. We wish
Jim and his wife, Nanette, an
enjoyable and happy retirement. To
Nanette also, our thanks are due for
her beautiful singing on many
occasions on behalf of the Society's
charitable endeavours.
•
THE SOCIETY OF
ACTUARIES N IRELAND
PAPER ON
LITIGATION
The Society of Actuaries in
Ireland would like to invite all
those interested to attend a
paper on litigation to begiven
by Peter Delany, FIA FPMI
ASA, partner in Delany, Bacon
& Woodrow, Consulting
Actuaries on Thursday 1st
November. The meeting will
start at 6.30 p.m. sharp fol-
lowing coffee at 5.45 p.m. in
the offices of Irish Pensions
Trust, Hill Samuel House,
Adelaide Road, Dublin 2.
Would those wishing to
attend please contact Camilla
McAleese at the Society's
office, Telephone 612427.
289