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GAZETTE
MARCH 1994
terminology. Clarity of description is
aided where necessary by examples
and the occasional diagram. The
layout, printing and indexing all help
to make the book easily readable, and
perhaps more importantly in such a
complex field, understandable to
everybody.
Criticisms by me (I leave assessment
of legal aspects to others) are few and
minor: such as the occasional error in
grammar and syntax and a cover that
does not, I think, do justice to the
book. The general description and
statement of purpose, on which the
book relies in the absence of an
introduction inside, is printed across
the cover design and difficult to read.
So, to whom is
Your Guide to Irish
Law
likely to be of interest? Apart
from those who enjoy dipping into
reference books, anyone who has any
contact with the law will be glad to
have the salient points explained so
clearly. The fact that most day-to-day
activities have legal implications
should be enough to have a copy of
the book in every household. Not being
a legal person myself, I cannot say if
members of the profession will want to
have a copy of the book on their
shelves for their own use, but it could
be the basis of good solicitor/client
understanding.
In summary,
Your Guide to Irish Law
is a useful and well presented book
which deserves to be widely available.
It is recommended to legal
professionals and to lay persons alike,
albeit for different purposes.
Frank Bracken
The Civil Liability Acts 1961
and 1964.
By Anthony Kerr, Dublin, The
| Round Hall Press, 150pp, 1993,
£32.50, hardback.
j
; Parts of the Civil Liability Code are
| obscure and complex, their meaning
elusive and their effect uncertain. The
language is sometimes tortuous. Mr.
Tony Kerr,
a barrister and statutory
lecturer in law in University College,
Dublin, a Master in his profession, has
made the fruits of his research
available in this book on this
important aspect of the administration
of justice.
It may appear trite to some readers, and
perhaps a trifle patronising, but
hopefully not sycophantic, to state that
the level of scholarship from those in
the legal academy of our universities is
superior now to any time in the history
of this island's civilisation. Strong
words, yes, but hyperbole I hope not.
Mr. Tony Kerr must be ranked among
those who have achieved great
distinction in publication terms in the
legal academy and in his contribution
to the development of the law - our
jurisprudence. It is a comfort to the
writer that his or her work should
survive as long as the printed word
survives.
The prescription in terms of the
amount of words allowed by the
Editorial Board entails that this is a
mere book notice - a notice to readers
about what is on offer in Mr. Tony
Kerr's book. In his book, Mr. Ken-
provides an annotation to the
Civil
Liability Acts 1961 and 1964.
The Acts
amended and consolidated the law
relating to the survival of causes of
action on death, dealt with the law
concerning concurrent fault, re-enacted
the statutory provisions relating to
damages for the benefit of dependents
of persons fatally injured and made
certain amendments of the law relating
to wrongdoing. The book contains an
up-to-date text of the legislation, refers
to appropriate case law and presents an
analysis of the law in a practical
, fashion.
This work is a definitive guide, a
marvellous distillation, and a
significant contribution to our
knowledge on an important aspect of
litigation law. As we have come to
expect of him, Tony Kerr's lucid
analysis of the law provides us with an
understanding of issues at the forefront
of civil litigation.
I Dr. Eamonn G. Hall
O r i e n t a t i on I n
U S A L a w
The University of California is staging
an Orientation in USA Law Course for
international legal and business
professionals. The four week
programme will be held from July 10 to
August 6, 1994, at the Berkeley and
Davis campuses of the University.
The core programme features the US
legal system and business and trade
law. Participants will receive additional
training in one of four areas of
specialisation: business and trade,
criminal justice, judicial management
or pre-LLM preparation. The curricu-
lum also includes visits to law firms;
business institutions; local, state and
federal courts and government offices.
In addition to the legal education
provided by the orientation in USA law
programme, participants have the
opportunity to enjoy an enriching cross-
cultural experience. Participants from
39 countries around the world attended
the programme last year.
The cost of the programme is $2,650
and on-campus housing including some
meals is available at $ 1,500.
Application forms are available from:
Beth Greenwood,
Director,
Orientation in USA Law,
University Extension,
University of California,
Davis, CA 95616 - 8727, USA.
Telephone:
001 916 757 8894
Fax:
001 916 757 8596
.
•
; Lawbrief
(Continued from page 52)
disproportionate to the aim pursued
; and had, accordingly, not been necess-
1 ary in a democratic society. There had
been a violation of Article 10.
These issues were raised a decade ago
. in Irish courts in
Nova Media Services
j Ltd v Ireland
[1984] ILRM 161 and in
Sunshine Radio Production Ltd
v
| Ireland
[1984] ILRM 170. The
| plaintiffs failed in their initial hurdles
I in interlocutory proceedings and never
pursued their case.
•