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GAZETTE
educational system now in operation.
On behalf of my colleagues on the Council and my-
self 1 bid you welcome and again congratulate you on
your achievements.
Parchments were then presented to the following
newly qualified solicitors: —
Brian Adams, Cormac Street, Tullamore, Co. Offaly.
Bernard Armstrong, Rosses Point, Co. Sligo.
Diarmuid Barry, Mountcharles, Donegal.
David Bergin, 12, Orwell Park, Rathgar, Dublin 6.
James Binchy, Knights Lodge, Charleville, Cork.
Ciaran Branigan, 78, Merville Road, Stillorgan, Co.
Dublin.
Laura M. Casey, The Square, Rathkeale, Co. Limerick.
Dominic Dowling, 6, Woodlawn Park, Churchtown,
Dublin 14.
Beatrice Ensor, Lymington Road, Enniscorthy, Co.
Wexford.
Janet Erskine, 27, Wellington Lane, Dublin 4.
Peter Flanagan, Maddenstown, Curragh, Co. Kildare.
Paul Fleming, Hazeldene, Putland Road, Bray, Co.
Wicklow.
Margaret Gleeson, 2, Neville Road, Rathgar, Dublin 6.
Christopher Grogan, Main Street, Leixlip, Co. Kildare.
Terence Hanahoe, 8, Parliament Street, Dublin 2.
Veronica Huggard, Butler Arms Hotel, Waterville,
Co. Kerry.
Fionnuala Murphy, Gort, Co. Galway.
Anthony Murray, St. Helens, O'Connell Avenue,
Limerick.
Patrick McCafferty, Kilmacrenan, Letterkenny,
Co. Donegal.
Gerard McCanny, The Old Rectory, Baronscourt,
Newtownstewart, Co. Tyrone.
Raymond McGovern, Lubraig, 83, Foster Avenue,
Mount Merrion, Co. Dublin.
Patrick McMullin, The Grove, Stranorlar, Co. Donegal.
Patrick McNally, 17, Parkowen, Quaker Road, Cork.
Bernard O'Beime, Bellevue, Coolgraney Road, Arklow,
Co. Wicklow.
Catherine O'Donnell, 33, Garville Road, Rathgar,
Dublin 6.
Thomas O'Donnell, Tirconnell, North Circular Road,
Limerick.
Dona! P. O'Hagan, B.A, (Mod.) L.L.B., Ravensdale,
Dundalk, Co. Louth.
Anne O'Reilly, 21, Orwell Park, Rathgar, Dublin 6.
Irene K. O'Sullivan, 11, North Circular Road, Dublin
7.
Brendan Rossiter, Clara Road, Tullamore, Co. Olfaly.
James J. Ryan, Innisfail, Kickham Street, Thurles, Co.
Tipperary.
Sharon Scally, 57, Shrewsbury Lawn, Cabinteely, Co.
Dublin.
Alan Shatter, 14, Crannagh Park, Dublin 14.
Joanne Sheehan, Mervyn, The Hill, Monkstown, Co.
Dublin.
Gerard Walsh, 325, Grace Park Estate, Dublin.
Henry Ward, 103, Tyrconnell Road, Inchicore, Dublin
8.
Brian Whitaker, 148, Stillorgan Road, Dublin 4.
The FREE LEGAL ADVI CE CENTRES (Dublin)
Summary of Report for 1976.
The 1976 Report on the Free Legal Advice Centres
shows once again the need for free legal aid and advice
in Ireland. FLAC have consistently advocated that a
comprehensive State system of Legal Aid should be in-
troduced, and the statistics of the FLAC centres for
1975 bear out this need. A total of 3869 cases were
dealt with by the eight part-time centres, operating on
only one night each week. The full time Centre at
Coolock dealt with 816 cases during the months from
April 1975 to January 1976. These figures show the
number of legal needs that would not have been met
but for the existence of FLAC and they place a ques-
tion mark on the extent of unmet legal needs in our
society, which should be the concern of lawyer and
law student alike.
The Report commented on the Seminar on Legal
Aid that was held in Dublin in December 1974. The
purpose was twofold. Firstly to acquaint those in-
volved in the Irish Law System with the problems en-
countered in the English Legal Aid scheme and second-
ly to provide informed discussion on what type of legal
service system would be most appropriate in Ireland.
Guest speakers were invited and included a represen-
tative from the Brent Community Law Centre and two
representatives fromt the Legal Action Group. Mr. John
Finlay spoke on behalf of FLAC. The Council of FLAC
felt that the Seminar had performed a public service
for those who will be working an Irish system of legal
aid.
Undoubtedly the major event for FLAC during the
period under review was the founding and opening of
the Coolock Community Law Centre on 2 April 1975.
112
The Centre is run by a solicitor who is assisted by a
panel of solicitors and students. The reason for estab-
lishing this centre was to demonstrate the necessity for
a Community Centre. From the commencement the
Coolock Centre was inundated with clients and the
Centre's caseload has continued at this high level. Be-
cause of this, liaison with local groups and community
contacts generally have played a major role, but it is
hoped that this situation can be rectified during the
coming year.
The report included a case load study which showed
the content and extent of cases in each category. The
Family Law Category was by far the largest, compris-
ing almost 40% of the caseload. Criminal matters were
the next largest group with Landlord and Tenant prob-
lems following close behind. A new category was open-
ed to deal with Labour Law problems which FLAC
felt was a potentially large area and our figures in this
group have borne this out.
During the past year FLAC have made Reports and
recommendations to the Government Task Force on
children and Child Care and also to the Criminal Legal
Aid Committee.
The Report also outlined the developments in Legal
Aid. The Pringle Committee on Civil Legal Aid which
was established in July 1974 in still silting. Mr. Brian
Gallagher, solicitor, is the FLAC representative on the
Committee. The Council was disappointed that the
Minister for Justice saw fit to set up a separate Com-
mittee to look into the scheme of Legal Aid in Criminal
cases, especially as the Pringle committee might have
considered this problem. During the past 18 months
both solicitors and barristers have withdrawn from the
State scheme of Criminal Legal Aid. At present the
barristers are not operating the scheme and they await
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