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of the Society. Already we have had to rent outside
premises for lectures for our students and within a very
short time further office space would have to be secured.
This would mean the dispersal of the Society's offices
over a number of physically separated buildings which
would be uneconomical, inefficent and inconvenient for
the members. I feel therefore we were very fortunate to
be able to acquire a building which is one of the most
important architectural features of the city and one of
great dignity of appearance and despite its age, having
been built
in
the
reign of Queen Ann,
in excellent
repair.
Its position
is extremely fortunate also being
situated within a short distance of the Four Courts and
on the projected new ring road for the city of Dublin.
It is not surprising that the acquisition met with what
appears to be the universal approval of our members.
It will not be possible for us
to get possession for
two years because the present occupants have to provide
for themselves a new school. This is not a disadvantage
because extensive planning will have to be done to adapt
and reorganise the inside of the premises to meet the
special requirements of the Society. We will be able to
house within this building not only all the present and
projected activities of the Society but also to provide
additional facilities for our members both of a professional
and social nature. It is proposed that besides office and
educational accommodation we will provide Club facili
ties for our members with, if necessary residential space.
A special committee has been set up to deal with these
matters and
they are already
in consultation with
architects and engineers, and are already at the stage of
studying draft plans. I am sure we all look forward to
the day when we will find ourselves
in
the building
which will provide within
its walls all our needs,
organisational,
educational,
business
and
social
and
where at last our President will find a place to park
his car.
Public Relations and Information service
For some
time past
there has been an
increasing
demand that the Society should set up some form of
public relations service and the Council has, over the
past two or three years, devoted a great deal of time
to discussion of this matter. During these discussions a
wide variety of opinions were very naturally expressed
and it also became apparent that there was a wide
variety of meanings attached to the term "Public Rela
tions". There was on the other hand general agreement
that public relations fell into two catagories. One is to
promote amongst
the members
of
the profession
a
proper concept of the importance of the practice of law
in the functioning of a democratic society and to stimu
late a unity of purpose in the promotion and discharge of
this function. The second is to convey to the public the
importance and value to
them of the services which
the profession has
to offer and of which, the public
are, in many cases completely unaware. The matter was
finally referred to a committee who produced a report
which you will
find
in Appendix C of
the Annual
Report. You will observe that the committee saw the
matter in the same light and that internal public rela
tions were of primary importance and
if
these were
properly dealt with external public relations would flow
automatically. The committee made three recommenda
tions which you will find on page 44 and 45. They
recommend
first
that
the Society
should appoint a
second assistant Secretary responsible to the Secretary for
special duties in connection with public relations, in
formation and services for members as well as engaging
the services of a part-time public relations officer to act
as consultant on public relations on
journalistic and
allied problems. Secondly, that concurrently with this
appointment the Society should persue actively the pro
blems of services to the profession under the heading of
continuing education, information and law reform out
lined
in
their report. It will
in
time necessitate
the
employment of further staff as assistant secretaries.
Thirdly, they recommend as a necessary consequence
to the first two recommendations that finance would be
found for these operations by adding £5 to the fee pay
able on taking out practising certificates and £4 to the
annual subscription
to
the Society. This
report was
adopted by the Council and immediately referred back
to the same committee to make recommendations for
the practical carrying into effect of their recommenda
tions. The Committee has been extremely active and
recruitment of staff has commenced. It is intended to
make available to members of the profession a very wide
range of
services,
for example—to provide standard
forms of documents covering every aspect of solicitors'
activities ranging from specially designed forms for the
initial attendance in various types of matters such as
plaintiff for defendant
in running down actions, ad
ministration matters, conveyancing attendances and so
on, to standardised forms for conveyancing matters such
as requisitions on title, letting agreements and leases of
various kinds. It is also intended to provide advice on
accounting systems, office organisation, advice on pur
chase of furniture, office machines and equipment. It
will also be the duty of this division, and this is most
important, to keep the profession regularly and accura
tely informed on all matters of current interest such as
the changes in the law by way of statute or statutory
rules and orders, decisions of the courts in matters both
of practice and law, whether otherwise reported or not,
decisions of
the
taxing masters
in matters of costs,
current awards of damages in various types of common
law actions and also promotional activities such as com
pany formation. It is a mark of the energy with which
this committee is pursuing its activities that a company
promotion service
is already in operation as you will
have learned from the circular delivered to you during
the last month. It is anticipated that a great many of
these
services which
I have mentioned will become
available within
the coming
twelve months and
the
committee are sending representatives abroad within the
next fortnight
to study how
these matters are done
elsewhere and to see how practices already in operation
in other countries may be adapted to suit the special
requirements of the profession
in
this country. These
activities when carried into effect must,
if availed of
by a solicitor increase out of all measure his efficiency.
He will have easy and quick access to up to the minute
information on all matters related to his professional
activities. It will remove from him much of the drudgery
which is presently his lot to enable him to delegate a
great deal of routine work of his office to his staff and
thereby leaves himself with more time to keep himself
abreast of
the
law and devote himself
to
the more
skilled aspects of his professional activities. It has been
truly said that every solicitor is his own public relations
officer therefore the more efficient and well informed he.
is the better service he can give to his clients with the
resulting increase in his own reputation and the already
high
reputation which
the profession enjoys
in
the
public esteem. I do not pretend to have given a com
plete
list of
the
services which
this branch of
the
Society's executive will offer but even if put into opera-
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