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Professional Negligence
The Society have been asked by the Committee
on Court Practice and Procedure to submit a
Memorandum on the Professional Negligence of
Barristers and Solicitors. A sub-Committee of the
Council
was
appointed
to
prepare
the
Memorandum. Senator John J. Nash and William
M. Cahir were appointed to the sub-Committee.
13th March 1969:
The President in the Chair,
also present Messrs. Ralph J. Walker, Desmond J.
Collins, Robert McD. Taylor, T. V. O'Connor,
Francis J. Lanigan, James R. C. Green, John C.
O'Carroll, John" Maher, John O'Meara, William
A. Osborne, Peter E. O'Connell, Daniel
J.
O'Connor, Rory O'Connor, Christopher Hogan,
Bruce St. J. Blake, Bernard J. Carroll, Thomas
Jackson Jnr., Gerald Hickey, Senator John J.
Nash, Walter Beatty, T. E. 0'Donnell, Gerald Y.
Goldberg and Peter D. M. Prentice.
Disciplinary Committee
The Council decided to submit the name of John
Maher to the President of the High Court for
appointment to
the Disciplinary Committee in
place of Mr. Peter D. M. Prentice who has
indicated
his
intention
to
resign
from
the
Disciplinary Committee.
17th April 1969:
The President in the chair, also
present Augustus Cullen, William A. Osborne,
John Maher, Gerald Hickey, Brendan A. McGrath,
Desmond Moran, Gerald Y. Goldberg, Gerard M.
Doyle, William M. Cahir, Thomas Jackson Jnr.,
James R. C. Green, Peter D. M. Prentice, Patrick
Noonan, Walter Beatty, Gerald
J. Moloney,
Desmond
J. Collins,
James W. O'Donovan,
Peter E. O'Connell, John J. Nash, Daniel J.
O'Connor, Christopher Hogan, Bruce St. J. Blake,
Joseph L. Dundon, Francis Armstrong, T. V.
O'Connor, John B. Jermyn, P. C. Moore, John
Carrigan, Patrick O'Donnell, Ralph J. Walker.
Registry of Deeds Telephones.
The Council considered the inadequacy of the
telephone arrangements at the Registry of Deeds
and
the difficulty
frequently
experienced
by
Members
in
trying
to get searches made by
telephone.
It was decided
that
the Secretary
should write to the Department of Justice and
the Commissioners of Public Works with
a
view to having several additional Public telephones
installed in the Registry.
Federation of Professional Associations
The following were reappointed as the Society's
Delegates
to
the
Federation
of Professional
Associations: Brendan A. McGrath, Bruce St. J.
Blake, Dermot Walsh, Eric A. Plunkett.
King's Hospital
The Council heard a report from the Committee
dealing with
the
Society's
premises King's
Hospital. An outline of
a
scheme
for
the
development and utilisation of
these premises
prepared by the Society's Architect Mr. Raymond
McGrath was considered. The Council indicated
that
the plans should be made available at
Solicitors' Buildings for inspection by the Mem
bers. Comments
from
interested
persons
or
bodies would be welcome.
8th INTERIM REPORT OF THE
COMMITTEE ON COURT
PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE
The report deals with two topics:
1. Service of Court Documents by Post
The Committee recommend that the Rules of the
Superior Courts should make provision for service
of documents by ordinary prepaid post. The
documents
should
be
enclosed
in
a
sealed
envelope
marked
on
the
outside
"Court
Document" and endorsed with the sender's name
and address. An unsworn certificate of service to
be given by the person who posted the letter not
earlier than
ten days after posting should be
acceptable proof of service. The Certificate of
Service would state inter "alia" that the document
had not been returned undelivered to the sender
and would have annexed an official Post Office
certificate of ordinary posting. The Committee
further recommend
that documents which are
required by the rules of the Superior Court be
lodged in the Court Offices for filing should be
lodged by ordinary prepaid post.
A
logical corollary
to
the abolition of
the
present rules relating to service is that a Solicitor
should no longer be required to have a place of
business within a radial distance of two miles from
the Four Courts as at present and accordingly the
Committee recommend that this rule be abolished.
2. Fees of Professional Witnesses.
The Committee
also
considered
the
fees
allowable to professional witnesses on party and
party taxation. Referring to
the scale of fees
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