The Gazette 1987

GAZETTE

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 1 9 87

New Law Reform

Commission Appointed

The Government has appointed

Mr. Justice Ronan Keane to be the

President of the Law Reform Com-

mission. His appointment will be

virtually a full time one, but he may

sit as a High Court Judge if required

by the President of the High Court.

The other members of the Commit-

tee are Simon O'Leary, Barrister-at-

Law, who will be a full time

member, John F. Buckley, Solicitor,

William Duncan, Lecturer in Law

Trinity College, Dublin, and Maureen

Gaffney, Clinical Psychologist,

who will be part-time members.

The Commission- has been

asked to prepare in consultation

with the Attorney-General a new

programme for law reform for sub-

mission by the Taoiseach to the

Government. The Government has

indicated it's view that a short pro-

gramme containing a small number

of important issues where the law

is out of date is desired.

The Government has indicated

that among the areas where it bel-

ieves law reform to be desirable

and which it believes would benefit

from study by the Commission are:

1 . The reform of Conveyancing

Law and Practice in areas

where this could lead to sav-

ings for house purchasers.

2. Sexual offences generally, in-

cluding the law relating to rape

and child sexual abuse.

3. The law relating to sheriffs, the

collection of taxes and debt

collection.

4. A number of issues relating to

compensation in personal injury

cases.

5. Various criminal law matters,

including sentencing policy, in-

dexation of fines, confiscating

the proceeds of crime and up-

dating a number of offences

which are still governed by

nineteenth-century legislation.

The new Commission commenc-

ed it's work on the 2nd January

1987 and it is understood that it

hopes to present it's draft pro-

gramme shortly.

High Court Judge

Appointed

The Government has appointed

Mr. Richard Johnson, SC, to be a

judge of the High Court to succeed

Mr. Justice Ronan Keane, who is

now Chairman of the Law Reform

Commission.

Born in Tralee, Co. Kerry, in 1937

Mr. Johnson is son of the late Dis-

trict Justice D. F. Johnson. He was

educated at CBS Tralee, Glenstal

Abbey, and UCD. Called to the Bar

in 1 960, he has been a member of

the Munster Circuit and has prac-

tised on the South West Circuit. I

WB •

In Brief

)

Bar Council 1987

Officers

The Bar Council of Ireland has

elected Mr. Seamus McKenna, SC,

chairman for 1987. Mr. Ian Bren-

nan was elected honorary

secretary and Mr. Colm Allen

honorary treasurer.

Other members of the Bar Coun-

cil are: Senior — John Rogers, At-

torney General; David Byrne, Paul

Carney, Frank Clarke, Nial Fennel-

ly, Patrick MacEntee, Seamus

McKenna, Diarmuid O'Donovan,

Peter Shanley, Ralph Sutton.

Junior — Colm Allen, Bernadette

Cronin, Elizabeth Dunne, Michael

Durack, Kevin Feeney, John

Gallagher, Michael O'Shea, Mary

Ellen Ring, John Walsh.

Director Appointed to

the Bar Council

The Bar Council wishes to an-

nounce the appointment of Mr.

John Dowling to the new post

of Director to the Council. He

takes up duty on Monday 2nd

February.

"The rapid increase in member-

ship of the Law Library, which has

grown from 300 barristers in 1976

to the present level of 640 is a

reflection of the increased demand

from the public for legal services

from the Bar" said Seamus McKenna

SC, Chairman of the Bar Council.

"The Law Library" he continued,

"is a collegiate centre for barristers

unique to Ireland and the creation

of the new Director post is one of

the developments the Bar Council

is undertaking to ensure that the

representation of the interests of

the profession and the clients of

the profession is maintained at the

highest levels."

John Dowling, aged 42, moves to

the Bar Council from the Association

of Higher Civil Servants where he

was General Secretary since 1981.

He is married to RTE Executive

Joan Collins, and they have two

daughters.

Mr. Dowling also worked as a

Training Specialist with the In-

stitute of Public Administration

and as a Training Advisor with

AnCO. He is a science graduate

of Trinity College Dublin and began

his career as a teacher before

moving to the youth organisation

Foroige. In recent years Mr.

Dowling has undertaken post

graduate studies in Industrial

Relations.

Temporary Judges

Nominated

The Government has nominated

Mr. Michael Anthony Moriarty, SC,

and Mr. John Bernard Cassidy, SC,

for appointment by the President

as temporary judges of the Circuit

Court. A Government statement

said that the appointments arose

from the increase in work on some

circuits. Mr. Moriarty (40) was

educated at Blackrock College;

University College, Dublin; and

Kings Inns, Dublin. He was called

to the Bar in October 1968, and to

the Inner Bar in 1982.

Mr. Cassidy (55) was educated

at Santa Sabena, Sutton; O'Con-

nell's Schools, Dublin; UCD and

Kings Inns. He was called to the

Bar in 1950 and to the Inner Bar in

1973.

Shetland Helicopter

Disaster

Ten firms of solicitors in Aber-

deen have joined forces to seek

compensation for families bereav-

ed in the Shetland helicopter

disaster.

They represent 14 families who

lost relatives when 45 people were

killed in the recent crash when the

helicopter was bringing staff

ashore from the Brent oilfield.

A statement from the solicitors

said they would pool their ex-

perience and resources to in-

vestigate the circumstances of the

tragedy and arrange representation

at the accident inquiry.