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GAZETTE
B O O K
R E V I E W S
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 1994
Law Firms in Europe: The
Guide to Europe's
Commercial Law Firms
Edited by John Pritchard,
Legalease, London, 752, pp,
paperback, Stg £29 plus £4 postage.
In
Lions of the Eighties: The Inside
Story of the Powerhouse Law Firms,
(Doubleday, New York, 1982), Paul
Hoffman opened the doors of the
powerful world of corporate law firms
and introduced us to the powerbrokers
who influenced the decisions of top
businessmen and politicians in the
United States. He wrote of the men
"who have worked and wormed and
wriggled their way" to the top
positions in legal firms. He noted that
the top corporate firms were the
movers and shakers of the legal
establishment, the "lions" of the legal
profession. Except for rare public
personages, they were anonymous
men, unknown to the general public
and strangers even to many lawyers.
Hoffman could very well have been
writing about the top law firms in
Ireland. He noted that the lawyers in
the top law firms do not breed Perry
Masons who indulge injury swinging,
headline-hunting histrionics. Despite
the explosion in litigation, few
corporate lawyers see the inside of a
courtroom and their knowledge of
murder cases and the general criminal
law was confined to movies and
mystery novels. The average man or
woman would never have occasion to
consult these legal eagles. The lions of
the corporate law firms do not deal
with the average legal problem.
Hoffman noted that for nearly a
century the powerhouse law firms in
New York had a virtual monopoly of
the legal representation of America's
wealth, commercial banks, investment
banks and stockbrokers.
More than a century ago Alexis de
Tocqueville proclaimed lawyers the
American aristocracy. If this is still
so, the lawyers featured in
Law Firms
in Europe
represent
la creme de la
créme
of the legal elite.
Law Firms in Europe
is a guide to the
legal commercial law firms in Europe.
The book is not confined to EU
countries and firms throughout
Western, Central and Eastern Europe
are included. There are two distinct
parts in each chapter: the editorial
section and the directory section. The
editorial section consists of factual
information and commentary. The
commentary consists of a general
review as to which firms do what
types of work and which firms are
generally considered by their peers to
have a "good name" within the
national international legal
community. The editorial is based
principally on the combined opinions
of the many lawyers who contributed
to the research in each country. The
editor states that it is important to
appreciate that the editorial lists
should not be taken as a definitive
statement on European law firms but
rather as a starting point for
discussion.
Readers will be interested to note that
in relation to Ireland, the editorial
states that billing rates are agreed in
advance by the client in the law firm
and these may vary according to the
complexity and value of the matter
but, as a guide, the typical hourly rate
for a partner is around IR£150.
Overall, the view is that the legal
profession in Ireland is faring well
and it would seem that the outlook for
1994 is promising. The property
markets are beginning to pick up and
the steady stream of blue chip
companies into Ireland is considered
an important source of new work for
many of Ireland's leading commercial
law firms. The editorial states,
however, that newly-qualified lawyers
find it difficult to secure a job with a
law firm in Dublin.
Lawyers with overseas business will
find
Law Firms in Europe
useful.
Dr. Eamonn G. Hall
r
The Circuit Court - Draft
Order Precedents
by Samuel Gill, Chief Clerk, Cork
Circuit Court, 1994, 256pp,
hardback, £35.00.
This book is written by the former
Chief Clerk of the Cork Circuit Court
who has 24 years experience in the
administrative side of the Court. It is a
straightforward book which is an
invaluable tool for the busy Circuit
Court practitioner. Its author wrote it
"in an attempt to lift the veil of
mystique from the drafting of Orders
in the Circuit Court". Many
practitioners will recognise the feeling
of concern on being faced with that
very task, which feeling rapidly rises
to panic when one's offering is
rejected by the Circuit Court Office.
The availability of a reliable set of
draft precedent Orders available on
disc as well was in the book itself is
of enormous assistance.
The book is divided into six parts with
a comprehensive index. Part II of the
book will be of enormous use to
family lawyers. In the foreword to the
book, Mr Justice
Frank Spain,
President of the Circuit Court,
particularly welcomes this section of
the book. "This branch of the law has
been growing in volume and
complexity. Because it involves this
delicate area of human relationships it
is a demanding and difficult area of
law for those who practise in it".
Part I of the book also contains
precedents for various forms of
injunctions. There appears to be some
rule of nature which dictates that
emergencies arise on Friday
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