The Gazette 1993

GAZETTE

N W

MARCH 1993

Council Endorses Review of Education

and considers other current issues

At the January meeting of the Law

Society Council, the members passed

a resolution endorsing a review of

the system of professional education

and training of solicitors. The

resolution was as follows:-

"This Council recognises that

difficulties presently exist for

students seeking to be admitted to

the Roll of Solicitors in Ireland

due largely to:

a. the economic difficulties in this

country;

b. the cost of third level

education;

c. other problems that exist within

and outside the control of

solicitors.

It endorses the direction given to

its Education Committee to

comprehensively review the present

education system and bring

forward suggestions for its reform

and change if deemed necessary.

The Council requests that such

enabling sections as may be

necessary to give effect to such

reforms and changes that may be

approved of in due course be

included in the Solicitors Bill

shortly to be re-introduced to the

Dáil."

The Council of the Law Society

returned to the issue of education

policy at its meeting held on 12

February. The Chairman of the

Education Committee,

Pat

O'Connor,

reported to the meeting

that 380 persons had sat the First

Irish Examination held recently and

372 had passed it. Following the

Parchment Ceremony later that day,

there would be 5,007 solicitors on

the Roll. The Professional Course

due to commence in November, 1993

was already full. These facts further

highlighted the need for an entire

review of the admission procedure,

education and training of solicitors.

All members of the Council were

asked to obtain the views of

members of the profession as soon

as possible with a view to having an

interim report drafted promptly.

Disciplinary Cases

At the January meeting, the

members of the Council approved

the format and style of reports of

disciplinary cases heard in the High

Court after 1 January, 1993 that

would be published in the Gazette

from now on.

(The reporting of

disciplinary cases commences this

month, see page 75).

Justice Media Awards Competition

The Council also approved the

appointment of a Justice Awards

Standing Committee which will

adjudicate upon the entries to the

Society's Inaugural Justice Media

Awards Competition. The committee

comprises Ken Murphy, Chairman;

Justin Condon, Dr. Eamonn Hall,

Maeve Hayes, Brian Mahon, Michael

O'Mahony, Eva Tobin and Barbara

Cahalane.

Criminal Legal Aid Fees

At the February meeting, the

Chairman of the Criminal Law

Committee,

Michael Staines,

reported to the Council that the

regulations on the new scale of

Criminal Legal Aid fees had only

now been finalised and were with the

Attorney General. The Council

endorsed a proposal that the

Director General would write to the

Secretary of the Department of

Justice indicating that the Council

was extremely concerned at the delay

in drawing up and promulgating the

regulations and at the consequent

delay in paying the higher fees

agreed some five months previously.

Quality and Practice Management

The Chairman of the newly-formed

Practice Management Committee,

Justin McKenna,

reported that in

addition to quality forming the

theme of the Law Society's Annual

Conference next May, the committee

hoped to stage a large scale seminar

on the topic later in the year and

there would be a series of follow-up

courses. A series of articles on

various aspects of good practice

management would be published in

future issues of the

Gazette.

Practising Certificates

Ward McEllin,

Chairman of the

Compensation Fund Committee,

reported to the meeting on the level

of applications for 1993/94

practising certificates. He said the

Society's accountants would

commence a "war of attrition"

against those who had not applied

for practising certificates or had not

complied with the Solicitors

Accounts Regulations. Injunctions

would be sought against late

applicants in appropriate cases.

Financial Pressures

At the February meeting the Council

considered the views expressed by

some members that an increasing

number of solicitors were experiencing

acute financial pressures in their

practices because of the effect of the

recession. This was all the more

difficult at a time when competition

in the profession was increasing due

to the large number of newly

qualified solicitors entering the

profession. Fee income had not kept

pace with workloads and lack of

growth at a time of rising overheads

was endangering the Financial viability

of some practices. In the light of this

situation, the Council decided to

consider at a future meeting what

steps could be taken to assist the

profession at this difficult time. Some

members favoured allocating a special,

day-long meeting of the Council to

the issue and this will be considered

again at the March meeting of the

Council.

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