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SADS1 Reception 1971
The annual reception held by the Solicitors Apprentices
Debating Society of Ireland (hereafter called SADSI)
was held in the Solicitors Buildings, Four Courts, on
Thursday, 21st October 1971. The formal proceedings
opened when the Auditor, Mr. Laurence K. Shields,
requested Mr. George Colley, T.D., Minister for Finance
and ex-Auditor, to preside. The Chairman called upon
the Auditor to speak, and the Auditor, having wel-
comed the distinguished guests, introduced his com-
mittee to the audience. He then mentioned some of the
motions that were to be debated this session, such as :
"That we acknowledge Ireland as two nations"; "That
the Forcible Entry Act, 1971, is repugnant to the spirit
of the law"; "That this house sees no future in Irish
tourism"; and "That the greatest admirers of our
juvenile delinquents are our Irish criminal courts". He
mentioned the advantages of the Society such as the
number of awards, and the suppers provided by Mrs.
O'Reilly. The Record Secretary then read a pseudo-
comic and alleged witty rendering of the minutes of the
70 Reception held on 27th October 1970.
The President, Mr. Brendan McGrath, was then
asked to speak about the functions of the Incorporated
Law Society; he emphasised that the solicitor's profes-
sion was a noble one. It was up to us to defend the
legal order which gave meaning and value to our
society. A professional association seeks to guarantee
quality by evolving suitable rules of conduct. Qualifi-
cation must be the special status of competence of our
profession. It was erroneous to think that the Law
Society was mainly concerned with discipline, as was
evidenced by the numerous sub-committees of the
Council. Those who supported the Society would sup-
port the manpower resources of the profession.
Mr. Peter Prentice, Chairman of the Court of
Examiners, was then asked to explain the functions of
that Court. Unlike other committees of the Council,
the Court of Examiners had been set up by statutory
order. Its main function was to approve the courses set
on behalf of the Society. A member of the Court also
interviewed all new apprentices. The Court was con-
cerned with the situation of intake of apprentices.
Although there were no more than 1,400 qualified soli-
citors in the Republic of Ireland, the number of those
who wished to become apprentices had risen sharply in
recent years. Before 1960, the number of apprentices
entering the profession did not exceed forty. This
number had risen to fifty in 1961, to eighty-two in 1964,
to 129 in 1967, and to no less than 192 in 1971.
Although better facilities were now available, it was
important to realise that practice as a solicitor should
not be the sole professional goal, but that newly-quali-
fied solicitors should join business firms or the Govern-
ment service.
Mr. Patrick Kilroy, ex-Auditor, then spoke about the
Liaison Committee. He emphasised that students con-
sidered that those who dealt with legal education were
reactionaries, who tended to defend the
status quo.
It
was important to realise that there might be a violent
reaction if there was no proper communication between
the student and the educational authorities. The Court
of Examiners consisted of busy practitioners which
ensured objectivity, but they were sometimes too busy-
to follow up necessary reforms. In its submission to the
authorities in 1963, the Law Society had presented a
most open report which deserved great praise.
The Liaison Committee, consisting of six students,
had been established two years ago, and had worked
well the first year. Unfortunately last year the students
failed to elect a Liaison Committee and thus their
views remained unheard. He strongly urged them to
revive the Liaison Committee this year, in order that
such subjects as the contents of lectures and of subjects
should be voiced. Miss Elizabeth Ryan, ex-Auditor,
then emphasised the benefits of being a member of the
Debating Society.
The Chairman, Mr. Colley, then stated that he had
very happy memories of the Society. This Society was
unique and could provide an admirable forum for
debating and subsequent friendships; furthermore basic
legal problems could be discussed there. Mr. Colley
made a strong plea for a further examination regarding
the interpretation of statutes. He considered that, fol-
lowing the British canons of construction of a statute,
there was a distinct tendency to give it a strictly literal
rather than a liberal interpretation. It was important to
realise that European Courts had wider powers of inter-
pretation than mere precedent and that documents
called "travaux préparatoires" would be admitted (as
had been done by the Supreme Court in the Sean
Bourke extradition case). Deputies of all parties dis-
played a humane and liberal approach to legislation,
and he hoped that the same approach would be consid-
ered as much by the Courts as by the administrators
themselves. He finally emphasised that the service
rendered by the legal profession was indispensable in a
free society.
A sherry reception was held beforehand and a supper
was held afterwards.
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