The Gazette 1971

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