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the l e a d i ng c o n v e y a n c e rs of the d a y.
T h e facilities in his p r a c t i s e, h o w e v e r,
w e r e b a s i c. E v e r y t h i ng w a s w r i t t en o ut
in l o ng h a n d. H is w r i t i ng w a s
u n i n t e l l i g i b l e. It w a s the b a n e of his
s e c r e t a r i e s' l i v e s ."
U p o n q u a l i f y i n g, T a y l or j o i n ed t he
o f f i ce of the c r i m i n al l a w y er a nd f u t u re
J u d g e, H e r m an G o o d . H e h a n d l ed m u c h
of the civil w o r k of the practice, g a i n i ng
e x p e r i e n ce in civil litigation, p r o b a te a n d
c o n v e y a n c i n g: " In t h o se d a y s ", h e says,
" s p e c i a l i s a t i on d id not really a r i s e ."
T a y l o r s t a y ed w i th G o o d until 1954,
w h e n h e set u p in p r a c t i se w i th G o o d ' s
f o r m e r a p p r e n t i c e, D o n B u c h a l t e r.
B u c h a l t er c o n t i n u es to h e a d u p t he firm,
T a y l o r B u c h a l t e r, w h i c h o p e r a t es f r o m
C u f f e S t r e et o ff St S t e p h e n 's G r e e n.
T a y l or left t he p r a c t i ce to t a ke u p his
c u r r e nt p o s i t i on in 1992.
" M y initial salary w i th H e r m a n G o o d
w a s £ 5. W e e a r n ed little m o r e t h an this
in o u r first year. T h e e a r ly y e a rs w e r e
l e a n ."
B y the late 1960s, t he p r a c t i ce w a s well
e s t a b l i s h e d. Irish p o l i t i cs t oo h a d
l i v e n ed up. T h e o n c e - d u ll Irish L a b o ur
P a r ty w a s b e i ng t r a n s f o r m ed w i th the
arrival of m e d i a stars s u ch as J u s t in
K e a t i n g, C o n o r C r u i se O ' B r i e n a n d
D a v i d T h o r n l e y.
M e r v y n h a d g ot m a r r i ed in 1 9 60 to
M a r i l yn F i s h e r, t he d a u g h t er of a
l e a d i ng L o n d o n L a b o u r P a r ty local
politician. Political d i s c u s s i o ns w e r e t he
n o r m a m o n g c l o se f r i e n ds a nd
n e i g h b o u rs in the T e m p l e o g ue s u b u rb
w h e r e t h ey lived. It w a s d e c i d ed that it
w a s t i me f o r t he h u r l e rs to g et o f f t he
ditch. T h e y j o i n ed a b r a n ch in D u b l in
S o u th C o u n t y.
D u r i ng the 1 9 73 election, the party
c a n d i d a t e, B r e n d an Ha l l i g a n, w a s called
a w a y b y the leader B r e n d an C o r i sh to
run the n a t i o n al c a m p a i g n. M e r v yn
T a y l o r, b y n o w the c o n s t i t u e n cy c h a i r-
m a n , w a s d r a f t ed in to run in H a l l i g a n 's
p l a c e, p o l l i ng a r e s p e c t a b le 3 , 0 00 votes.
In t he 1 9 77 e l e c t i o n, he p u s h ed his tally
u p to 6 , 5 0 0, n a r r o w ly f a i l i ng to t a ke a
seat in D u b l in S o u th We s t.
"I s e r i o u s ly c o n s i d e r ed retiring, b ut I
w a s c o n s t r a i n ed to g i ve it o n e m o r e
t r y ." H e m a d e it, at last, in 1981.
D u r i n g t he E i g h t i e s, he o p e r a t ed on the
left of t he L a b o u r party, w h i le m a n a g i ng
to retain his links w i th the p a r ty c e n t r e.
" B e i n g a l a w y er h a s b e e n an i mm e n se
h e l p to m e as a politician. M y w o r k at
t he legal c o a l f a ce h as g i v en m e a
k n o w l e d ge b a s e.
"I h a v e a v e ry h i gh r e g a rd f o r the
p r o f e s s i o n, o n e that is h o n o u r a b le a nd
d e d i c a t e d. S o l i c i t o rs h a v e a role a n d
c o n n e c t i on to p e o p le that f e w o t h e rs
h a v e. P e o p le will g i ve c o n f i d e n c es to
their solicitor in a w a y that t h ey d o w i th
n o o t h er p r o f e s s i o n al p e r s o n.
"It is, h o w e v e r, a m u c h - c h a n g ed
p r o f e s s i o n. T h e d e c i s i on to p e r m it
a d v e r t i s i ng f o l l o w i ng political p r e s s u re
w a s a g r a ve m i s t a k e. I v o t ed a g a i n st it.
It w o u l d n ot b e e a s y, h o w e v e r, to p ut
t he g e n ie b a ck in t he bottle. I d o n ot
t h i nk that o n e c an r e v e r se t he p o s i t i o n ."
"It m a y b e p o s s i b le to c o n t r ol
a d v e r t i s i n g. S u c h a m o v e w o u l d h a v e to
c o m e f r o m t he M i n i s t er of J u s t i c e ."
L o o k i ng b a ck o n his t e n u re of o f f i c e,
T a y l o r is p a r t i c u l a r ly p r o ud of t he
p a s s a ge of t he legislation a m e n d i ng t he
C o n s t i t u t i on to p r o v i de f o r a d i v o r ce
j u r i s d i c t i on in this c o u n t r y.
" T h e p r e p a r a t i on of t he f o r m at of this
a m e n d m e n t w a s a m a t t er of c r u c i al
i m p o r t a n c e" h e says. "It p r e s e n t ed m u c h
d i f f i c u l t y ."
It w a s d e c i d ed that t he a m e n d m e nt b e
w r i t t en i n to t he C o n s t i t u t i on r a t h er t h an
left to b e d e t e r m i n ed b y t he O i r e a c h t a s.
T h e G o v e r n m e nt o p t ed f o r d i v o r ce o n a
n o f a u lt b a s i s, f o l l o w i ng t he p r e c e d e nt
set in t he 1 9 89 J u d i c i al S e p a r a t i on A c t.
T h e r e q u i r ed p e r i od of s e p a r a t i on w a s
set at f o u r y e a r s. S u ch c a u t i on m a y h a ve
u p s et the p r o - d i v o r ce l o b b y, b ut w i t h o ut
s u ch a c a u t i o us a p p r o a ch the
r e f e r e n d um m i g ht n ot h a v e b e en p a s s e d.
T a y l o r 's l a w y e r 's c a u t i on h a d s e r v ed
h i m well. H e h ad a l so s u r v i v ed t he
c a m p a i gn a g a i n st c o n f i d e nt p r e d i c t i o ns
of a ministerial televisual m a u l i ng at the
h a n d s of the m o r e a r t i c u l a te m e m b e r s of
the a n t i - d i v o r ce l o b b y.
B u t d e s p i te his s u c c e ss w i th d i v o r c e,
critics c l a im that w h o l e a r e as of t he l aw
r e m a in in d i re n e ed of r e f o r m.
T h e M i n i s t er h i m s e lf a c c e p ts that m u c h
r e m a i ns to b e d o n e. "I c an l o ok a r o u nd
m e a n d s ee t he r e p o r ts on m y s h e l v e s.
W e are the s ma l l e st d e p a r t m e nt of State.
W e h a v e p a s s ed t h r o u gh 11 p i e c es
of l e g i s l a t i o n ."
"I w o u ld like, as M i n i s t e r, to r e f o r m
I r e l a n d 's c o n v e y a n c i ng law, e x t e n d i ng
the s y s t em of r e g i s t r a t i on of title a nd
s i m p l i f y i ng t he w h o l e s t r u c t u re of land,
b ut this w o u ld t a ke c o n s i d e r a b le
r e s o u r c e s. T h e s e are j u st n ot a v a i l a b le to
m e , as I h a v e b e en p r e o c c u p i ed
p r i ma r i ly w i th f a m i ly l aw m a t t e r s ."
P i l o t i ng into law the t w o E q u a l i ty Bills
will t a ke u p m u c h of t he d e p a r t m e n t 's
t i me into the A u t u m n. M o v e s to p r e ss
a h e a d w i th legislation e s t a b l i s h i ng an
I n t e r n a t i o n al A r b i t r a t i on C e n t re are a l so
u n d e r w a y. T a y l or c an a l so l o ok b a c k o n
t he s u c c e s s f ul p a s s a ge of t he D o m e s t ic
V i o l e n ce A c t w h i ch e x t e n ds legal
p r o t e c t i o ns to u n m a r r i ed p a r t n e rs in
a b u s i ve r e l a t i o n s h i p s.
T h e F a m i ly L a w A ct 1995 clarifies,
a m o n g o t h er t h i n g s, the situation w i th
r e s p e ct to p e n s i on rights a f t er a j u d i c i al
s e p a r a t i o n. T h e P o w e r s of A t t o r n ey A c t
s e e ks to p r o v i de f o r legal a r r a n g e m e n ts
to m e et t he e v e nt of a p e r s o n 's m e n t al
i n c a p a c i t y.
T a y l o r c an a l so p o i nt to i n c r e a s ed
f u n d i n g f or L a w C e n t r es a n d f o r t he
Me d i a t i on S e r v i ce as a n o t h er s u c c e s s,
t h o u gh t he d e m a n d s o n r e s o u r c es
a m o u n t to a b o t t o m l e ss pit. B ut the
s t r i k i ng d o w n of the M a t r i m o n i al
H o m e s Bill c o n f e r r i ng e q u al rights of
o w n e r s h ip in t he f a m i ly h o m e to b o th
s p o u s es b y t he S u p r e me C o u rt w a s a
m a j o r r e v e r s a l.
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