327 / 342
GAZETTE
SEPTEMBER 1987
Due to a nearby fire alarm
operating for nearly half an hour
making continuance of the meeting
in the President's Hall impossible,
the meeting adjourned to the
Members Lounge.
Mr. John Buckley suggested that
the adoption of the Resolution as
it stood would leave the Council
with a very long tail of Past
Presidents. While he had sympathy
with the principle of the Resolution,
he felt that to make it practical past
Presidents should only be allowed
the vote for a further three years at
maximum. Mr. Don Binchy said
that when the idea of service on
the Council by Past Presidents was
first offered it was done so as to in-
duce young members to go for
election to the Council. In practice
that had not happened.
Committee Work
Mr. Adrian Bourke said the for-
mula worked out some years ago
was satisfactory in that the major
work of the Council was done in
Committees. The attendance re-
quirement would be more mean-
ingful if it embraced attendance at
Committees as well as at the Coun-
cil. Mr. Daire Murphy said there
was a continuing concern that the
Council could be remote from the
ordinary members. One answer to
those who felt remote was that it
was up to them to elect their own
representatives. The Law Society
needed an input from Past
Presidents but was a vote
necessary to achieve that input? It
would be open to Past Presidents
to stand for election if they wanted
to vote. Mr. P. Brennan welcomed
any development which would give
the Law Society the benefit of the
long experience of Past Presidents,
but Mr. Andy Smyth asked why, if
the Resolution was adopted, Past
Presidents would bother going up
for election since under the Resolu-
tion they would have a vote.
Mr. Justin McKenna supported
the Resolution since he did not
regard the absence of Past
Presidents from the election list as
a threat to democracy. Mr. Pat
O'Connor supported the motion
but would like a limit in the number
of years of entitlement as sug-
gested earlier.
Mr. Michael Williams said that
the Council was elected from year
to year and people have a vote in
the Council because they are
elected in that particular year. In
that way, over time, the changing
views within the profession are ac-
commodated. Insofar as the
Resolution was concerned, there
would be no problem until the voice
of those wanting change was out-
voted by the votes of the more
conservative Past Presidents. Ms.
Anne Neary wondered how many
additional votes the resolution
would produce. She pointed out
that out of a profession of about
3,500, only 1,100 bothered to
vote.
Mr. Peter Prentice said that he
was the originator of the motion to
allow past Presidents to attend the
Council on the basis that while
there was need for an experienced
view on the Council, the up-and-
coming members should not find it
too difficult to get elected. He was
opposed to the Motion and was
supported by Mr. Bruce St. J.
Blake. Mr. Curran then replied.
On a show of hands the motion
was defeated.
The President then dealt with the
Reports of the various committees.
On the report of the Education
Committee, Mr. Desmond Moran
referred to the article on Court Eti-
quette in the November issue of
the Gazette dealing with the Ad-
vocacy Course. He commented
that he was disappointed at the
standard of cross examination
shown by younger solicitors and
wondered how many of the
modern apprentices were brought
to an action by their Masters. The
remaining sections of the report
were agreed. The Annual Report of
the Council was then adopted.
Election of Auditors
Mr. Margetson proposed the re-
appointment of Messrs. Coopers &
Lybrand as Auditors to the Society
for the coming year. He welcomed
Mr. Dick Lane, a partner of the firm
and Mr. Brendan Kavanagh, Audit
Manager, and thanked them for
their help to the Society over the
year. The proposal was seconded
by Mr. D. Binchy and agreed.
Council for 1987 / 88
The Scrutineers Report which
was tabled was accepted. The
outcome of the ballot was as
follows:-
Total
Votes
1. Quinlan, Moya
1099
2. Binchy, Donal G.
1053
3. O'Donnell, Rory
1050
4. Ensor, Anthony H.
1048
5. O'Donnell, P. Frank
980
6. O'Mahony, Michael V. 958
7. Bourke, Adrian P.
938
8. Pigot, David R.
937
9. Margetson, Ernest J.
915
10. Collins, Anthony E.
906
11. Clarke, Geraldine M.
879
12. O'Connor, Patrick
875
13. Smyth, Andrew F.
856
14. Shields, Laurence K.
853
1 5. Lynch, Elma
840
16. Daly, Francis D.
837
17. Daly, Patrick J.
830
18. Monahan, Raymond T. 828
19. McMahon, Brian M.
817
20. Irvine, Michael Glynn
815
21. Cullen, Laurence
813
22. Curran, Maurice R.
799
23. Mahon, Brian J.
794
24. Glynn, Patrick A.
782
25. Murphy, Ken
779
26. Killeen, Carmel S.
743
27. Matthews, Vivian C.
709
28. Harte, John B.
675
29. Donegan, James D.
671
30. Griffin, Gerard F.
657
Note
Under Bye Law 29A the Senior
Vice President (Mr. Thomas D.
Shaw) is deemed to be elected.
Provincial Delegates
Connaught - McEllin, Edward M.
Leinster
- Lanigan, Frank
Munster
- O'Connell, Michael
Ulster
- Murphy, Peter F. R.
Single European Act
In the absence of Mr. T. C. G.
O'Mahony (abroad) and Mr. Bren-
dan Garvan who had to leave the
meeting earlier, the following mo-
tion was proposed by Mr. Anthony
Murphy and seconded by Mr.
Brendan Fahy:-
"We call on the Council of the
Society and/or its appropriate
Committee(s) to explain the
neglect of the Society to in-
vestigate and enlighten the
country on the serious constitu-
tional implications of the Single
European Act, or to lend ap-
propriate assistance or co-
operation to Legal Consultative
Council on its lone pioneering of
this enormous task.
317