The Gazette 1961

its proposals for reform, would have reported to the

Minister by this time.

The problem of legal education is not peculiar to

this country and I know that our neighbours are

equally concerned about the problem of how to

train a would-be solicitor in the best interests of the

candidate, of the profession and of the public.

In England the Law Society are fortunate in that

the matter is one in their own hands and, therefore,

any decision for

improvement can rapidly be

arranged. I am hopeful that, as and when reform

comes, it will be accompanied by sufficient elasticity

to enable us for the future to keep this very important

matter steadily under review and up to date without

the necessity of amending legislation at every stage.

We are apt to think that education of lawyers

begins with the indentures of apprenticeship and

ends with the admission of the solicitor, apart from

the practical experience which can very often only

be learnt after practice has commenced. This is, of

course, quite fallacious and it is necessary for the

solicitor to continue his education by keeping

himself up to date with the law.

This is a problem which is not by any means

peculiar to Ireland and one which is becoming more

and more difficult. It is one that has to date largely

been left to the individual to work out for himself.

The programme of law reform initiated by the

Minister for Justice will, by itself, require many of

us to go back to school and learn our law all over

again in the form in which we shall have to apply it

for the future.

This will be a tremendous task and there is no

doubt that, for those of us who have been many

years in practice, it is going to be very difficult to

learn and remember details of new Acts which change

and modify the established practice on which we

have operated and which has become almost second

nature to us for long numbers of years. This problem

is linked with the lack of suitable text books and I

am hopeful that the Government will include as much

of the English law as they consider appropriate in

any amendments which they make here so as to

give us the benefit of English decisions and text

books. The recent Bills which have appeared seem

to suggest that this will be so, which will be of

considerable help to the practitioner.

How big the problem facing us is emphasised by

the fact that on 15th July last the Dail gave the first

reading to four major Bills, namely the Trade Marks

Bill, the Patents Bill, the Hotel Proprietors Bill and

the Companies Bill.

The Minister for Justice in his White Paper

indicated the programme of law reform which he

envisaged over that part of the law which comes

within the province of his Department and, of these

four Bills to which I have referred, only one, I

think, is sponsored by the Minister for Justice, so

that the remaining three are in addition to the

general programme of law reform.

The Council are much concerned with what I may

call " post-graduate " education and to the necessity

of assisting the members to keep up to date.

You all have already received notification of the

booklets on recent legislation which have been

sponsored by the Society. Two of these, namely;

Civil Liability Act

1961, and

The Law of Stamp

Duties,

have been published and I am glad to say

have been eagerly sought by members.

Three further booklets, namely

Administration of

Estates Act

1959,

Statute of Limitations,

1957 and

Married Womens Status Act

1957 are in various stages

of printing and should be available shortly.

These are a help but it is difficult to get anybody

ready and willing to undertake the task of writing

what is in fact a minor text book and if there is to

be a flood of legislation it will be impossible to keep

publications up to date.

I would like to see the Society arrange a series of

annual lectures for qualified solicitors to be given on

matters which have been the subject of legislative

change during the preceding year.

I, personally, feel that a lecture is more valuable

than a treatise—the spoken word is more effective

than any amount of print. I do realise that members

in the country might not find it convenient to attend

lectures in Dublin.

The Council would consider the possibility of

sponsoring such a series of lectures and would

welcome the views of the profession thereon as

there is little object in holding lectures which involve

the lecturer in considerable time in study and research

if there is to be little or no support for his effort.

We would also like to hear from Bar Associations

on the subject. I would have in mind the possibility

of having such lectures recorded on tape which

tapes could be circulated to any Bar Associations

which so wished, so enabling members to hear the

lectures locally. Further, I feel that such lectures

should be published and sold by the Society to

members on the lines of the booklets which have

already appeared.

It will be quite impossible for the practitioner

to keep in his mind full details of an ever-changing

law. It is his function, in so far as he can, to know the

general principles of the law,

to know where

changes have occurred, where there are traps for the

unwary and to know where to find his law.

I don't see how we can expect to master the

detail of the volume of new law which we anticipate

and I, personally, think that a series of lectures

giving us the very broad outlines and the necessary

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