The Gazette 1996

320 / 448

Advert ising
I r e f er to t he letter b y J o hn D i l l o n-
L e e t c h, u n d er t he h e a d i ng of " C u t
P r i ce S o l i c i t i n g" in t he A p r i l / M ay
e d i t i o n.
In r e s p e ct of t he p o s i t i on p r i or to t he
i n t r o d u c t i on of a d v e r t i s i n g, M r .
D i l l o n - L e e t ch states that " t he v i ew
t a k en by m a n y p r a c t i t i o n e rs at t he t i me
w a s that t he i n t r o d u c t i on of a d v e r t i s i ng
in t he p r o f e s s i on w o u l d r e s u lt in t he
l o w e r i ng of s t a n d a r d s ."
I r e m e m b er we ll t he d e b a te on r a d io
a n d t e l e v i s i on at t he t i me. S o l i c i t o rs
w e r e r e g a r d ed as an e n c l o s e d, a l mo st
T r a p p i s t, c o mm u n i t y, e x t r e m e ly
c o n s e r v a t i v e, s t o d gy a nd t h r i v i ng on
t he lack of c h a n g e w i t h in t he
p r o f e s s i o n. I c l e a r ly r e m e m b er it b e i ng
a r g u ed on b e h a lf of t he p u b l ic b y
" t h em that k n o w b e t t e r" that t he p u b l ic
w o u l d get a k e e n e r, m o r e m o d e r n a nd
i n d e ed c h e a p er s e r v i ce if s o l i c i t o rs
w e r e a l l o w ed a d v e r t i s e. T h r o u gh this
m e d i u m , it a p p e a r s, w e w e r e to be
d r a g g e d, w h i m p e r i ng as it w e r e, into
the 2 0 th C e n t u r y.
P e r h a ps I a m " o ut of s y n c h ", b ut d o
o t h e rs like m e n ot t h i nk that it is n ow
t i me f or a c o m p l e te r e a s s e s s m e nt of
a d v e r t i s i ng as it h as e v o l v e d?
In t he o p i n i on of this w r i t er ( w h o is
o n ly s p e a k i ng f or h i m s e l f ), t he
a r g u m e n ts that w e r e m a d e f o r t he
i n t r o d u c t i on of a d v e r t i s i ng a re n o
l o n g er r e l e v a nt or s u s t a i n a b l e.
I n s t e ad of m a k i n g us l o ok m o d e r n, it
h a s, in m y v i e w, m a d e us l o ok at
b e st " s l i c k ."
A m I V i c t o r i an in d a r i ng to s u g g e st
that f l a s h i ng n e o n l i g h ts a nd c a r t o on
c h a r a c t e rs m a y p o s s i b ly n ot b e q u i te
s u i t ed to a p r o f e s s i o n? W o u l d d o c t o rs
o r i n d e ed t he B a r u se s u ch m e t h o ds if
t h ey w e r e a l l o w ed to a d v e r t i s e? In my
v i e w, a L a s V e g a s style of m a g n i f i ed
s e l f - p r o m o t i on (by w h i ch s o m e, n o
d o u b t, m a y p r o f i t) o n ly s e r v es to
e m b a r r a ss t he p r o f e s s i on a nd c an be
u s e d b y p o l i t i c i a ns a nd o t h e rs in
a u t h o r i ty ( u n f a i r l y, I m i g ht a d d) to
get " d i g s" in at t he p r o f e s s i on as a
w h o l e. A l s o in t he A p r i l / M ay e d i t i on
t h e re is a letter in f r o m a c o l l e a g ue
w h o w a s t he e i g h th s o l i c i t or to b e
i n s t r u c t ed w i t h in a s h o rt p e r i od by
s o m e p r a c t i c al j o k e r in r e s p e ct of
t he s a me ma t t er - b e n e f i t t i n g, n o
d o u b t, f r om " t h e first c o n s u l t a t i on
f r e e " d u r i ng s o me of his e i g ht
" f i r s t" c o n s u l t a t i o n s.
T h e r e is a d v e r t i s i ng a nd a d v e r t i s i n g.
W o u l d f e l l ow " s q u i r m e r s" ( f r om
e m b a r r a s s m e n t) p l e a se s t a nd u p ?
M a n u s S w e e n e y,
M a n u s S w e e n e y & C o ,
M e r c h a n ts H o u s e,
M e r c h a n ts Q u a y ,
D u b l in 8.
Successors in t i t le
M y a t t e n t i on h as b e en d r a wn to t he
c o r r e s p o n d e n ce o v er the last f e w
m o n t h s w i th r e g a rd to t he f i r ms that
h a v e h ad f o ur g e n e r a t i o ns of the s a me
f a m i l y. Y o u m i g ht b e i n t e r e s t ed to
k n o w that the f i rm of W i l l i am F ry w a s
f o u n d e d in 1 8 47 a nd t h us will
c e l e b r a te its 150th a n n i v e r s a ry n e xt
y e a r. T h e f i rm w a s f o u n d ed by m y
g r e a t - g r e a t - g r a n d f a t h e r, a nd m y
b r o t h er E d m u n d a nd I f o r m t he f i f th
g e n e r a t i on in an u n b r o k en line in the
p r a c t i c e. W h e t h er a sixth g e n e r a t i on of
t he F ry f a m i ly will e m e r g e f or t he f i rm
r e m a i ns to be s e e n, as legal p r a c t i ce is
c e r t a i n ly n ot t he s a me t o d ay as it w a s
in t he 1 8 4 0 s!
H o u g h t on F r y,
W i l l i am F r y,
F i t z w i l t on H o u s e,
W i l t on P l a c e,
D u b l in 2
D a n M i l e y ' s letter in t he J u ly Gazette
p r o m p ts m e to lay m y c l a im as a n o t h er
f o u r th g e n e r a t i on solicitor. M y g r e a t-
g r a n d f a t h er - H e n ry H a r te B a r ry ( S n r );
g r a n d f a t h er - C h a r l es M . B a r r y; f a t h er
- H e n ry H a r te B a r r y; a nd my s e l f.
Mo r e o v e r, I c l a im that t he C a s h el
o f f i c e f o u n d ed in 1 8 89 by my
g r a n d f a t h e r, c o n t i n u ed b y m y f a t h e r,
and now by me, is the oldest sole
practitioner one family firm in the
c o u n t r y, b e i ng 107 y e a rs old this y e a r.
It is not the o l d e st f i r m. I b e l i e ve that
B r i an C a r r o ll in F e r m o y w o u ld lay
c l a im to h a v i ng the o l d e st f i rm in t he
c o u n t ry - p e r h a ps c h a l l e n g ed by
o t h e r s?
H e n r y C. P. B a r r y,
C h a r l es M . B a r ry & S o n,
J o h n S t r e e t,
C a s h e l,
C o . T i p p e r a r y.
ENGLISH AGENTS:
A g e n cy w o rk u n d e r t a k en f or Irish
Solicitors in both litigation a nd
n o n - c o n t e n t i o us ma t t e rs -
i n c l u d i ng legal aid.
Fearon & Co., Solicitors,
Westminster House,
12 The Broadway, Woking,
Surrey GU21 5AU.
Fax:0044 - 1483 - 725807
James Hyland & Company
Forensic Accountants
26/28 South Terrace,
Cork,
Ireland.
Phone (021) 319 200
Fax: (021) 319 300
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