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GAZETTE
OCTOBER 1994
of Solicitors by a former solicitor,
Brendan Gunn,
who had been struck
off the Roll in 1988. The reports noted
that under cross examination by
counsel for the Law Society,
Patrick
McEntee SC, Brendan Gunn
conceded
that he had misappropriated clients'
monies in excess of £100,000 and that
he still owed the Law Society's
Compensation Fund more than
£68,000. The report in the
Irish Times
noted that Mr McEntee had told the
court he had been specifically
instructed by the Law Society to state
categorically that it did not accept the
proposition that there could be a breed
of legal aid solicitors who had fewer
demands on their integrity or
competence than the general run of
solicitor. On 17 September, the
Irish
Times
and
Irish Independent
reported
that the President of the High Court,
the Hon Mr Justice
Liam Hamilton,
had refused the application, ruling
that he could not, at this stage, in the
interests of the public and the
profession, restore Mr Gunn as
a solicitor.
Farmers Early Retirement Scheme
The President of the IFA,
John
Donnelly,
was reported in the
Irish
Independent
of 2 September as
criticising auctioneers and solicitors
for charging fees of up to 5% on lease
agreements which would allow elderly
farmers to qualify for EU pensions.
His remarks were also reported in the
Limerick Observer
of 7 September
and the
Tullamore Tribune
of 10
September. On 13 September the
Independent
reported that following a
meeting between the IFA and the
Conveyancing Committee of the Law
Society farmers involved in land
transfers and the retirement scheme
had been advised to negotiate and
agree all legal fees in advance with
their solicitors. In a further report in
the
Irish Independent
on 17
September, it was noted that the IFA
and the Law Society had agreed to
recommend to solicitors that legal fees
associated with farm transfers and the
farm retirement scheme should be
negotiated with the client prior to the
work being carried out. The report
noted that the negotiations with the
Law Society had been very productive
and had ironed out a lot of the
difficulties which had arisen. Similar
reports appeared in most of the
provincial papers.
Small Firms Survey
A survey by the Small Firms
Association conducted in association
with Partners-at-Law, Solicitors,
which found 9 out of 10 solicitors did
not contact their clients except for
work in progress, was reported on the
6.00 p.m. TV News on RTE 1 on 26
September. The findings of the survey
were also reported in the
Irish Press,
Irish Independent
and
Cork Examiner
on 27 September. The other area of
dissatisfaction expressed by
respondents related to delay. The
article in the
Cork Examiner
noted
that the Law Society had welcomed
the principal finding of the survey that
90% of respondents were either
satisfied or very satisfied with the
services of their solicitor. The
Independent
reported that the Law
Society had pointed out that
frequently delays were not the fault of
a solicitor.
(See also page 288)
Barbara Cahalane
•
L o s t P r o p e r t y -
L a w S o c i e t y O f f i c e
F o u r C o u r t s
Please note that any property
(including files) which have been
left in the Society's offices in the
Four Courts will be destroyed
unless claimed or on before
Friday, 4 November 1994.
Members seeking to re-claim
property which they have lost
may contact
Paddy Caulfield
at
the Law Society office in the
Four Courts.
Tel: 668 1806.
Fax: 873 5615.
R u g b y N e w s
John Matson
of McCann FitzGerald
has been appointed Team Captain of
the Solicitor Apprentices Rugby Club
for the 1994/1995 season. He
succeeds
James O'Donnell
who
ensured that 1993/1994 was a most
successful season and the Club is
grateful to James for all his
hard work.
The following fixtures are already
planned:
1. Weekend away in Tralee on 29
October to play a Tralee selection
in honour of the late
Donal E.
Browne.
2. Annual match against the Bar for
the
Joseph McGowan
Cup in early
December with a post match
reception and disco.
3. Tour of Edinburgh in the new year
for the Ireland -v- Scotland
International with our own
international against the Scottish
Law Society rugby team.
It is also hoped to have the funds to
purchase a new set of jerseys as the
present set of 13 (presented to the
Club by the captain of The French
Law Society Team on their 1959 Tour
of Ireland and Wales) is now showing
its age.
As you can see, it promises to be a
challenging, exciting and expensive
season. As the Club is totally
dependent on the sponsorship and
generosity of the legal profession in
general, contributions are greatly
appreciated. Cheques should be sent
to
John Matson
and made payable to
the Club.
As our first game is coming up, all
interested players and sponsors
should, as soon as possible, contact
John Matson,
McCann FitzGerald.
Tel: 829 0000, Fax 829 0010.
•
John Matson
290