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Legal remuneration — Central Costs
Committee
The Council received a report from the Presi
dent and representatives of the Society who attend
ed a meeting with the Minister for Justice on 6th
November. Correspondence has since been re
ceived from the Minister arising out of the meet
ing. It was decided that the Society's represen
tatives should request a further meeting with the
Minister to discuss the proposal of the Council
that the Central Costs Committee should be em
powered to make general orders dealing with pro
fessional
remuneration subject only to Parlia
mentary control.
ADMISSION CEREMONY
Thirty-four
newly-qualified
solicitors were
presented with their parchments by the President,
Mr. James Green, in the Library in Solicitors'
Buildings, on Tuesday, 8th December 1970. The
President, addressing the newly-qualified solicitors
and their friends, said: —
Ladies and Gentlemen:
This is my last public function before I hand
over this chain of office
to my successor on
Thursday and I must say that it is one of the
most pleasant ceremonies of
the whole year.
When I qualified before most of you were born
we collected our parchments from the office and
a little ceremony such as this was unknown. This
was a pity because after all you are entitled to
celebrate your achievement and it is pleasant for
us on the Council to meet the newly fledged
solicitors and for your parents to see some tangible
evidence of your success achieved I know as a
result of a lot of hard work on your part and
often I am sure as a result of considerable sacrifice
on theirs.
You are now members of a profession and this
involves not only a certain status and privilege
but important duties — duties which you owe
to your clients, your colleagues and to the Court
of which you are now officers.
You will forgive me if I repeat what I have said
on previous occasions. The profit motive should
never be the sole inducement you agree to enter
the legal profession. It is a very rewarding calling
not necessarily financially. A great deal of dedi
cation is necessary in the interest of your clients
and for your own satisfaction. No doubt some of
you are impatient to set up on your own — my
advice and the advice of my Society has always
been that the newly qualified solicitor should
first practice for a year or two as a qualified
assistant.
The numbers coming into the profession are
increasing steadily. We are keeping a watchful
eye on this for fear that the profession will become
overcrowded.
At the moment many firms are
overworked and understaffed but this situation
could change very quickly. I do not think that
any of you need worry however and certainly if
you are prepared to start work in the country
rather than in the city, you will certainly find
employment, and get plenty of experience.
I very much hope that those of you who do
start working in Dublin or Cork will give any
assistance you can
to the Free Legal Advice
Centres in those cities. No doubt you will all
join the Law Society, your local Bar Association
and also the Society of Young Solicitors which
will help to keep you up to date if you attend
their Seminars and lectures.
I am happy to welcome you all on behalf of
the Council and the Society.
In addition to presenting parchments today I
am particularly pleased to be able to welcome
here Sir George Mahon who represents Messrs.
Guinness & Mahon, the donors of a much appre
ciated Prize which the Council has agreed to allot
annually for proficiency at the Society's Third
Law examination in the subject of Tax Law and
Commercial Law. This prize, worth £50, has just
been awarded for the first time and I am glad to
avail of the opportunity publicly to
thank Sir
George on behalf of the profession for his firm's
splendid generosity.
PARCHMENTS were then presented to the
following:—Mary Judith Baily, B.C.L., LL.B.,
N.U.I., Clounalour House, Tralee, Co. Kerry
(Special
Certificate);
Brian
Berrills, B.C.L.,
N.U.I., St. Alphonsus Villas, Dundalk, Co. Louth;
Adrian Bourke, B.A. LL.B., Victoria House,
Ballina, Co. Mayo; Anthony T. Burke, B.C.L.,
N.U.I., Greenhills, Kill, Co. Kildare; Michael E.
Cusack, Drumrora, Ballyjamesduff, Co. Cavan;
Peter
J. Cusack, Orchard House, Clondalkin,
Dublin, 12; Andrew J. O. Donnelly, B.A., T.C.D.,
Riverside, Dublin Road, Navan, Co. Meath;
Francis Doris, B.C.L., 34, College Drive, Tere-
nure, Dublin, 6; Eileen Doyle, Thornhill House,
Cherry Gardens, Trees Road, Mount Merrion, Co.
Dublin; Una Fleming, Camelot, Spiddal, Co.
Galway; Michael Hanahoe, 35, Hollybrook Road,
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