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GAZETTE
P R E S I D E N T 'S
M E S S A G E
JUNE 1993
The Law Society is here to help you . . .
I have recently heard it jokingly said
that the three greatest current lies are,
(1) the cheque is in the post, (2) I will
feel the same about you in the morning
and (3) the Law Society is there to help
you.
The reason why some may enjoy this
story is that, while the Law Society is,
of course, there to be of assistance to
members of the profession, sadly, some
members believe otherwise. I am most
anxious to correct this inaccurate
perception and to ensure that members
fully realise the work carried out by the
Law Society in furthering the well-
being of the profession and are support-
ive of the Society in its endeavours.
The Society has two areas of duty. The
first is to comply fully with its statutory
obligations to regulate the profession
and to safeguard the public interest. The
second is to promote the interests of the
profession and to help practitioners deal
with the difficulties and problems
experienced by them in everyday
practice. The Society seeks to perform
both roles and to provide an extensive
service in a number of ways.
• A number of Committees, drawn from
the Council, but in some cases
containing non-Council members, deal
monthly with problems referred to
them by the profession and issue
appropriate advice and guidance to
individual members and to the
profession as a whole.
• The Library provides an excellent
research and support service to
members.
• Continuing Legal Education courses
continue to be up-graded and expand-
ed with a view to assisting members
improve their competence and
expertise, particularly in niche areas.
• Practice Management courses and
seminars will begin in the Autumn to
assist members in the running of their
practices.
• Remuneration and Costs seminars are
Raymond
Monalian
being planned to assist members
assess the cost of running their
practices, and to ensure that their
approach to fee charging is realistic
having regard to overhead costs and
the need to provide themselves with a
reasonable return on their work.
• The Society has worked with great
commitment and determination to
secure over 100 amendments to the
proposed Solicitors Bill to safeguard
the interests of the profession and
continues to campaign against the
proposal to allow conveyancing and
probate work to be performed by
others not qualified to do it.
• The Society is reviewing its overall
policies in regard to education and its
obligations under the Compensation
Fund.
• The Society is seeking improvements
in, and proper resources for, the whole
system of the administration of justice
(this will be the subject matter of a
forthcoming submission to
Government).
• The Society is lobbying for the
introduction of a comprehensive
system of civil legal aid.
• Recently, the Society has supported
and subvented court proceedings by or
on behalf of members of the
profession seeking to establish
fundamental rights and important
principles pertaining to the profession.
• Most recently, the Society, in
attempting to defend the public against
unacceptable legislative developments,
has lead a campaign against the
imposition of a probate tax in the 1993
Finance Bill.
• The Society is currently campaigning
against the proposal by the Minister of
State for Commerce and Technology,
Seamus Brennan TD, to cap the level
of personal injuries compensation.
From the foregoing it will, 1 hope, be
accepted that the Council, its
Committees and the staff of the Society
seek diligently to comply with their
various obligations, well appreciate the
problems facing the profession, are
attempting to further its interests, and
endeavour to be of assistance to
individual members. Although the
Society communicates regularly with
members through the
Gazette
and by
means of individual letters as the
occasion demands, not all members
seem to be aware of the work being
done on their behalf. I am working to
increase this awareness and thereby
improve the relationship between the
Society and the ordinary member so that
such member can, as a first step towards
the solution of a particular difficulty,
seek help and assistance from the
Society. Based on its experience and
network system, involving a wide cross-
section of the profession, the Society
will be in a position to respond in
accordance with its commitment that
the Law Society is there to help you.
•
Raymond T. Monahan,
President.
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