The Gazette 1981

GAZETTE

MARCH 1981

THE LAW SCHOOL —

CONCENTRATING

THE MIND

That the prospect of being hanged in the morning

concentrates one's mind wonderfully is now part of

received wisdom. It is, in fact, good journalism rather

than good research; those who have been hanged in the

morning have failed, more often than not, to record - in

deathless or even deadly prose — the state of their mental

concentration on the night before. There is no doubt,

however, that the knowledge that you are to

expound

the morrow — and all the morrow — to some ninety odd

apprentices on an area of legal practice in which someone

believes you have an expertise, does concentrate your,

mind wonderfully — hopefully earlier than the night

before.

The concentration of the mind is one of the very real, if

slightly selfish, advantages of being a contributor to the

Professional or Advanced courses in the Society's Law

School. Instead of jogging along in a habitual pattern —

even being comfortable in the pattern, if one allows for the

unpredictabilities of one's clients and the idiosyncrasies of

one's colleagues — one has to explain not merely how

something is done in practice but why it is done that way

and, indeed, why it is done at all. Habits suddenly need

explanations. The finding and exposition of the explana-

tions are discovered to be rewarding and refreshing;

practitioners have found in every case when they acted as

a consultant or tutor in the Law School that their knowl-

edge of the subject in which they are instructors-teachers-

counsellors has been deepened and widened. Not to be

ignored either are the advantages of meeting and exchang-

ing views and information with colleagues specialising in

the same subject.

The Society is very grateful to the two hundred or so

solicitors —and a handful of other professionals - who

have contributed to the work of the Law School, your

Law School, and is proud to record the selflessness of

practitioners who have unhesitatingly shared with the

students - the solicitors of the future - their knowledge,

their experience and the expertise which they have stored

and built up — in some cases over many years - without

any thought of hugging that knowledge and experience to

themselves.

The Law School cannot overly impose on their practi-

tioners-teachers; no one should devote so much time to

the Law School that he or she becomes "turned ofT'. The

way forward is to have a bank of practitioners ready to

contribute as consultants and tutors and to call on them

sparingly; in this way contributors will maintain their

interest and zest. That is why your Society is now appeal-

ing to more practitioners to put forward their names as

contributors to the Law School. Tutors are usually solici-

tors qualified two or three years or more, while consul-

tants tend to be more senior. Solicitor consultants are

currently paid £50 a day and solicitor tutors £30 a day

for their days "on" and the Society recoups travelling

expenses for those practising outside Dublin. The syllabus

for the Professional course covers Civil and Criminal

Litigation, Labour and Social Welfare Law, Family Law

Conveyancing, Probate and Administration, Wills and

Settlements, Landlord and Tenant Law, Insolvency

Commercial Law, Capital and Income Taxation

Company Law and Partnership. Practitioners - and

please remember the new training system is a practice-

orientated one, where the students learn the skills and

procedures of a solicitor in a "learning-by-doing" atmos-

phere - who have built up expertise in any of these areas

are asked to volunteer their services as consultants or

tutors in their own specialities by writing to Miss Desiree

Flynn or Miss Raphael Mathews, full-time tutors in the

Law School, Blackhall Place, Dublin 7.

In some areas contributors are thinner on the ground

than in other areas (and therefore more in demand) but in

every case volunteers are recorded as potential consul

tants or tutors.

Practitioners who are already contributing and those

who have already volunteered need not write again

to the Society.

The Law School, Blackhall Place

REQUIRES

Tutors and Consultants

in the following areas

Conveyancing, Capital Taxation, Landlord and Tenant, Planning Law, Insolvency,

Income Tax, Wills and Settlements, Commercial Law, Company Law, Criminal Law]

Civil Litigation, Family Law, Labour Law, Probate.

Applications to and further details from either

Miss Desiree Flynn

Miss Raphael Mathews

(full-time tutors) Tel. 710711 ext. 75

Existing contributors, either as Consultants or Tutors, need not apply in response to this

appeal — their continuing service is needed and appreciated.