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GAZETTE
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 1994
doing so he displays a certain grasp of
the acronyms of the 90s. If we are to
believe him, the PDA (Personal
Digital Assistant); the PAC (Personal
Activity Centre); and the GSM
(Global Systems Mobile) will
influence the manner in which work is
done by us all and will facilitate the
registration and protection of
Trademarks.
One interesting development in the
years ahead may be the establishment
of the Diploma in Trademarks in Law
and Design as a pre-requisite
qualification to anybody embarking
on a career as a professional
trademark representative. This will
inevitably lead to the regularising and
formalising of training for these
professionals. Since this profession
draws substantially from an existing
legal pool it may well prove that
today's school leavers with a flair for
languages and a penchant for the law
will see themselves as budding
trademark agents forging a living in
the 21 st Century.
Justin McKenna
CI
Compensation Fund Risk
Control - The French
CARPA Scheme
(Continued from page 268)
public. In addition, it has created
employment, a not insignificant
consideration in the current state of the
economy. If the Law Society was to
consider a similar scheme it would
undoubtedly receive assistance from
the principal officers of those involved
in CARPA associations both in Paris
and other cities and thus benefit from
the thirty years of experience of the
operation of the scheme in France.
The author thanks Bátonnier Jean-
Henri Farné and Maitre Jean-Pierre
Duffour for their invaluable help in
the preparation of this article.
* Colm Mannin, Senior Counsel,
Ainbus Industrie, Toulouse, France, is
a member of the Incorporated Law
Society of Ireland.
CI
P r o f i l e o f t h e P r o f e s s i on
There is now one practising solicitor per 887 members of the population in
Ireland and over half of all solicitors practise on their own, according to the
latest data compiled by the Law Society.
Membership Statistics
Number of solicitors on the Roll as at 30 June 1994
Number of solicitors holding practising certificates
Number of newly-admitted solicitors (1 July 1993 - 30 June 1994)
(Growth as a percentage of solicitors on roll)
5,436
3,969
304
7.6%
Size of Practices
The following is the most recent profile of practice units and practising
solicitors available (as at 10 March 1994):-
Practice units
1,795 units, of which
1,325 sole principals, of which
(73.8%)
993 sole principals (no assistants)
332 sole principals (with assistant(s))
(55.3%)
(18.5%)
470 partnerships, of which
(26.2%)
307 2 partners
163 2+ partners
(17.1%)
(9.1%)
Practising solicitors
3,877 practising solicitors, of which
1.325 sole principals
937 in partnership
1.326 assistants
289 employed solicitors
(financial institutions etc.)
(34.2%)
(24.2%)
(34.2%)
(7.4%)
No recruitment statistics are available in relation to solicitors on the Roll who
have not taken out practising certificates.
Ratio to Population/Labour Force
Practitioners per head of population
(1991 census-3,523,401)
Practitioners per members of labour force
(1992 figures - 1,350,000)
Practitioners per numbers employed
(1992 figures - 1,125,000)
1 : 887
1 : 340
1 : 283
Barristers
The total number of barristers currently practising in Ireland is 892.
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