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GAZETTE
N E W S
In-House Solicitors Newsbrief
Michael Carroll
This Newsbrief is intended for solicitors
in the Corporate and Public Services
sectors.
Inaugural Meeting of Association
I am delighted to announce that the
meeting to inaugurate an Association of
Solicitors in the Corporate and Public
Services sectors will be held on
Wednesday, 23 October in Blackhall
Place. I look forward to meeting many
of you there.
The formation of an association has
been expressed by many members as
being very desirable. Our committee,
which is a committee of the Law
Society, has been happy to facilitate the
formation. The committee has spent a
considerable amount of time in
considering what practical steps would
best assist.
The committee was of the opinion that
thefirst step should be to draft a
constitution. This would assist the
incoming Council of the Association. A
constitution has been drafted and a copy
of this will, as promised, be circulated
to all the solicitors on our mailing list. It
will be a matter for the Association to
decide whether or not to adopt this
particular constitution. The constitution
itself, of course, provides for its own
amendment.
The second practical step the committee
has taken is to organise the meeting
itself.
Thirdly, the committee was of the
opinion that it would be difficult for the
solicitors in the sector, many of whom
do not meet other solicitor colleagues in
the course of their work, to organise
elections to thefirst Council. The
committee will seek nominations on an
informal basis both from the principal
groupings in the sector and from
groupings which would represent the
solicitors not falling into those principal
groupings. The constitution has been
drafted to ensure representation from all
groupings.
If you would be interested in being
nominated to the Council of the
Association, you should contact myself
or Therese Clarke of the Law Society.
Tel. 8681220 with details. It will be a
matter for the meeting, on the evening,
to ratify or not ratify the nominations.
Directory Project
I hope that you will be now have
received and returned your
questionnaire. I would encourage you
again to pass on to colleagues, who may
not yet be on our mailing list, the
second copy of the questionnaire sent to
you.
European Company Lawyers
Association (AEJE/ECLA)
ECLA is a European umbrella group for
associations of solicitors in the
Corporate and Public Services sectors.
Up until now, there has been no Irish
representation. Initial enquiries have
been made with regard to membership.
The purposes of ECLA are principally
the representation of members at
European and international level,
contracts and exchange of professional
information among members, and the
organisation of seminars and the
promotion of legal research.
Law Society Council Elections
The Law Society is committed to
ensuring that the interests of solicitors
in the corporate and public services
sectors are reflected in the
representative, educational and
regulatory roles of the Society.
Our committee had been of the opinion
that these objectives would be assisted
by solicitors in the corporate sector
being given nominated seats on the
Council of the Law Society.
Accordingly, when the Review Working
Group for the Law Society was
established, the committee used this
opportunity to make a submission to the
Review Group recommending
nominated seats for the sectors.
However, when the Review Working
Group reported, it was stated at
paragraph 3.8:
"The group discussed, but unanimously
rejected, the allocation of seats on the
Council for sectional representatives
such as corporate, newly qualified,
female or assistant solicitors.
Nevertheless it was felt that positive
steps should be taken to encourage their
participation and that the proposed new
time-limits for service on the Council
might serve to do so. In addition, the
views of sectional interests within the
profession could be represented by
appropriate appointments to relevant
committees".
While disappointed that the
recommendation of the committee did
notfind favour, the committee accept
that the way forward now is for
solicitors in the sector to seek
nomination in the general election and
to be elected to Council.
Nominations for election to Council
must be with the Society by 4.00pm on
the 10th October.
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