Previous Page  40 / 462 Next Page
Information
Show Menu
Previous Page 40 / 462 Next Page
Page Background

GAZETTE

B

K

W

JAN/FEB 1993 '

The British Year Book of "

International Law 1991

By Ian Brownlie and D. O. Bowett,

(editors), Oxford, Oxford University

Press, 1991, ix -I- 744pp, £90

sterling, hardback.

We belong to a family of nations

whose relations are governed by

international law. We should be

grateful to those who have worked in

the international legal landscape.

Much has been done, particularly

since the end of the second world

war, to establish a new international

order. Those lawyers who have

contributed to, for example, the

Legal Committee of the United

Nations General Assembly, the

Geneva Law of the Sea Conferences,

the International Court of Justice,

the European Commission and

Court of Human Rights and, of

course, the institutions of the

European Communities deserve our

thanks.

Professor

Ian Brownlie

is one of the

editors of this Year Book, now in its

62nd year of issue. It has been stated

that the outstretched hand, searching

for guidance on any matter of public

international law, usually first

reaches for Brownlie's

Principles of

Public International Law,

now in its

fourth edition.

The jurisdiction of the International

Court of Justice in the case brought

by Nicaragua against the United

States in respect of military and

paramilitary activities on Nicaraguan

territory

(ICJ Reports,

1984 and

1986) is considered in considerable

detail by Professor D.W. Greig,

Professor of Law at the Australian

National University, Canberra. The

theme of human rights features

prominently in the Year Book. The

experience of the United Kingdom

between 1975 and 1987 in relation

to compliance with judgments of the

European Court of Human Rights

and the decisions of the Committee

of Ministers is reviewed in some

detail. Articles also consider and

review the decisions on the European

Convention on Human Rights and

the Court of Justice of the European

Communities during 1991 together

with United Kingdom material on

international law.

This is an expensive book. It is a

book for the specialist in

international law, who will derive

much benefit from its publication.

Dr. Eamonn G. Hall

Talking To Your Solicitor

by Mary Kotsonouris, Gill &

McMillan, 1992, 98pp, £4.99,

paperback.

Mary Kotsonouris

as a former

practising solicitor and former judge

of the District Court is eminently

qualified to write a book such as

this.

The book comprising fifteen

chapters deals with various topics of

the law such as: making a will,

bereavement, marriage, living

together, trouble with the neighbours

and, indeed, how to make a

complaint against your solicitor.

There are other practical topics and

the last chapter of the book contains

addresses and telephone numbers of

useful services and also contains a

glossary giving simple explanations

of the meaning of legal words.

In the chapter on 'The Arm of the

Law,' she gives some examples about

the way in which a normally law

abiding person can get involved with

the Gardai. She gives good practical

advice about, say, being a witness in

court or, more importantly, going

bail for a person. She says in

relation to going bail, if in doubt -

don't. I am sure that her approach

to this has been influenced by her

time on the bench when she

probably came across persons who

were surprised when they lost money

as a result of going bail.

The chapter on marriage gives

details of the status of people who

are married and the various rights

which follow, but in her good advice

on the transfer of the family home

into joint names there are errors in

relation to stamp duty and

inheritance tax and spouses in so far

as she has overlooked the exemptions

in the Family Home Protection Act,

1976 and the Finance Act, 1990,

which, no doubt, will be corrected in

later editions. This chapter which

also deals with the legal position of

the marriage of divorced persons is

very appropriate in this day and age.

She also makes the point that

marriage invalidates a will (unless

made in contemplation thereof)

which is often something the lay

person is not aware of and thus it is

no harm to bring it to the attention

of the reader.

In her chapter on living together, she

points out that the law really says

very little about this and strongly

advises that people entering into this

type of relationship should have a

simple agreement to provide for their

split up, which is, of course, very

sound advice. In situations such as

this, she strongly recommends that

the persons involved should make a

will, and points out the pitfalls of

entering into such a relationship, in

particular, that the benefits of the

family law legislation in relation to

barring and maintenance does not

protect the unmarried person.

I found her style of writing most

readable and humorous and indeed,

the style reminded me of a well

known. Irish novelist and journalist,

18