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King's Hospital
The increasing demand by the profession for services
from the Society and activities in connection with legal
education have greatly expanded the Society's work and
the need for office accommodation and staff. As mem-
bers are fully aware the area and number of the ser-
vices of the Society has greatly increased during recent
years. It is the ambition of the Council to increase and
develop this side of the Society's work. There is a grow-
ing need for increased communication and information
which seriously taxes the capacity of the general practi-
tioner to keep abreast of the continual change in the
law and one of the fields in which the Society can be
of great value to members is by promoting communi-
cations and publications of every kind. In recent years
it became apparent that the accommodation in the
Solicitors' Buildings, although adequate in the past,
would be insufficient to meet the needs of the future.
The number of apprentices has greatly increased dur-
ing the past ten years and there is no falling off in the
number of entrants. It became necessary to obtain other
accommodation in Dublin for holding examinations
and lectures and apprentices are at present attending
the Society's law courses in a hall rented from the
Representative Church Body in St. Andrew Street. This
accommodation, however, is almost over-taxed and the
present arrangements cannot be regarded as satisfactory.
In the Summer of 1968 the Council became aware that
the King's Hospital School at Blackhall Place was on
the market. The property consists of the school buil-
dings with about five and a half acres of land fronting
on Blackhall Place, about ten minutes walk from the
Four Courts. King's Hospital is one of the historic
buildings in Dublin with a magnificent frontage erected
by the architect Thomas Ivory in the mid eighteenth
century. It is subject to a preservation order under the
Planning Act, 1963, and is obviously a building of great
historical and artistic importance. Having taken the
best advice available as to the condition of the buil-
dings the Council decided to purchase it for a sum of
£105,000. The premises have now been vacated by the
school authorities and the purchase has been completed.
The present floor area of the Solicitors' Buildings is
approximately 20,000 square feet and over double that
area will be available in the King's Hospital buildings.
Very extensive and expensive renovations and alter-
ations will be necessary at King's Hospital because,
obviously, the buildings which were erected for a school
about the year 1750, while adequate in space, are not
suitable for modern offices, members' quarters and a
law school without considerable structural and other
alterations. The Council are, therefore, faced with a
sizeable financial problem. Unfortunately building costs
have escalated since the property was purchased over
two years ago and while satisfied that value for money
has been obtained the development of the plan dependis
upon finding substantial additional financial resources
The Solicitors' Buildings
The Solicitors' Buildings—at present owned by the
Society—were formerly held under a lease dated
29th June 1874 from the Society of King's Inns to the
Law Society for a term of 999 years at the yearly rent of
1/- with a benefit of a covenant by the lessors to
rebuild and reinstate the premises in the event (which
happened in 1922) of their destruction or damage by
fire. The Society of King's Inns and the Law Society
both lodged claims against the Government under the
Damage to Property Act after 1922. An arrangement
was made between the Government, the King's Inns
and the Society whereby the State would provide equiva-
lent accommodation for the several bodies in the Four
Courts in satisfaction of the statutory claims for com-
pensation. The premises provided for the Society under
this arrangement, which have been occupied by the
Society since 1931 were not of the same size as the
premises held under the lease of 1874. Part of the site of
the new premises was owned by the Society of King's
Inns in fee simple and the remainder was State property.
The State could not legally grant a lease longer than 99
years and the Council of the Society were unwilling to
accept a lease for so short a term in substitution for
their rights under the lease of 1874. The difficulty was
resolved in the following manner. In consideration of a
release by the Society on the claim against the Hon.
Society of King's Inns under the lessor's covenant to
reinstate the premises the Benchers granted the Society
the fee simple of the former Solicitors' Buildings (now
partly occupied by the Bar Council) and its precincts.
By lease dated 20th July 1954 the Society demised to
the Commissioners of Public Works the premises com-
prised in the conveyance for a term of 99 years from
7th September 1954 at the yearly rent of 1/-. By lease
of the same date, registered immediately afterwards, the
Minister for Finance and the Commissioners of Public
Works demised to the Society the apartments occupied
in the present Solicitors' Buildings for 99 years from
7th September 1954 at the yearly rent of 1/-. The
State are under a covenant to maintain the roof and
structure of the Solicitors' Buildings and to provide a
number of other services on very favourable terms for
the Society. The Society's obligations under the lease
are in fact restricted to painting the exterior and the
interior and heating, lighting and similar services are
supplied at public service rates. The Society has, there-
fore, a valuable interest in the Solicitors' Buildings and
is at present in negotiation with the Government of a
surrender of the lease. It will obviously be impracticable
for the Society to vacate the Solicitors' Buildings unless
the terms are such as to enable the Society to carry out
and complete the building and other work at King's
Hospital. Account must also be taken of the additional
costs of maintaining and servicing King's Hospital ,
which will be substantially greater than the present
annual charges for the Solicitors' Buildings.
The Future
Legal education and provision of legal services is a mat-
ter of public interest and concern. The Government and
both branches of the solicitors profession have a vital
interest in this field. The provision of a proper legal
service for the public depends upon adequate Court
and ancillary office accommodation, the establishment
and maintenance of a well-equipped and staffed law
school and facilities for continuing education of practi-
tioners between the Government and the profession.
They are approaching the problem on that basis. The
financial problem is more sizeable now than it was two
years ago and if the past experience of escalating build-
ing costs increases it will be more serious in the years to
come. You mav rest assured, however, that the Council
and the committee dealing with this matter under the
chairmanship of Mr. Peter D. M. Prentice are devoting
immense energy to its solution in the interests, not alone
of the Society, but of the broad aim of providing better
facilities for the administration of justice and legal
education for students and practitioners.
Fair Trades Commission—Time Costing
The Third Programmé for Economic and Social Devel-
opment 1969-1970 contained references to unsatisfactory
restrictive practices said to be found almost everywhere
not only among members of trade unions but in the
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