The Gazette 1961

intend to have the lectures taperecorded and made available

for hire by any Bar Association wishing to obtain same.

LEGAL AID

The Criminal Justice Legal Aid Act, 1962, is now on the

Statute Roll but as yet no regulations have been made bringing

it into force or setting out the procedure to be followed and

the fees to be paid. Your Council have given considerable

attention to

this matter and have submitted a detailed

memorandum thereon to the Minister for Justice.

I have

myself seen the Minister on this novel and important matter

and have assured him that our profession look upon legal aid

in criminal matters as a substantial advance in the social

legislation of the State and are anxious to make it work.

We have stressed the cardinal principle that subject to con

siderations as to distance a person accused of a crime must be

entitled to engage the lawyer of his own choice to defend him

and further that the fees to be paid to solicitors under the

scheme must be commensurate to the work done and the

responsibility involved.

I understand that a scheme for legal aid in civil matters is

also envisaged but I believe that it will not be introduced

until sufficient time will have elapsed to see how the matter

works on the criminal side of the Courts.

SOLICITORS' BENEVOLENT ASSOCIATION

Last January I had the privilege of seconding the adoption

of the Annual Report of the Solicitors' Benevolent Association

as it entered its centenary year.

I then appealed to every

solicitor who was not a subscriber to the Association to join

and I make no apology in repeating this appeal to contribute

to what is our own particularly private and personal charity.

It may not be known generally that the Solicitors' Benevolent

Association covers not only that part of Ireland in which

you and I practise but also covers and caters for the entire

country both North and South and gives relief when required

without limit as to border or any other like consideration.

The annual subscription of

£i

has remained unchanged

over the last one hundred years although the needs of the

Association have expanded to a tremendous degree since

its foundation. To mark its centenary the directors of the

Solicitors' Benevolent Association founded a new annuity

to be called "The Solicitors' Benevolent Association Centenary

Annuity" and have appealed to their members for support

to this foundation. I am glad to be able to tell you that the

response of the profession has been generous but I again add

my voice to the appeal and urge every solicitor in Ireland,

North and South, to become an active member.

BAR ASSOCIATIONS

Bar Associations as always form the foundation upon which

the organization of our profession exists and today there is

even more necessity for professional men to form themselves

into associations to promote the well-being of their members

and protect their interests.

Every solicitor practising in the State should be a member of

his local Bar association and I am asking you as members of

the Incorporated Law Society to try and achieve this result

each in your own locality. At the same time you might

impress on each fellow practitioner the desirability of becoming

a member of the Incorporated Law Society by pointing out

what has been done by the Society in the past and by giving

an assurance that the Council of your Society are ever vigilant

in protecting the interests of the profession and in dealing

with matters affecting their well-being in this rapidly changing

world.

I have attended a number of social functions sponsored by

the local Bar Associations and have been impressed by the

feeling of goodwill that exists between the members and the

loyalty shown to the association. This loyalty and goodwill

can do nothing but good in furthering the interest not only

of the local members but of the profession as a whole.

SOLICITORS' APPRENTICES DEBATING SOCIETY

The education of solicitors' apprentices who will form the

lawyers of the future is one of the most important tasks

entrusted to your Council and one of which they are very

conscious.

Although not strictly within the confines of such education

with its system of lectures and examinations the Solicitors'

Apprentices' Debating Society plays an important part. I ask

any of you who have apprentices to our profession to encour

age them to join the Solicitors' Apprentices' Debating Society

which will give them a unique opportunity to practise the art

of public speaking and improve their advocacy when they

are admitted to the roll of solicitors.

CONCLUSION

At this summer meeting I have dealt but very briefly with

matters of common interest to our profession, may I close by

expressing the hope and earnest wish that during the remainder

of my year in office I may maintain the high standard set by

my predecessors. In expressing this wish I am fortified by the

assistance given and always available to me by every member

of the Council and by my Vice-Presidents, Mr. Desmond

Collins and Mr. Patrick O'Donnell. To each and every member

of the Council I owe a deep debt of gratitude.

Mr. Plunkett is as always a tower of strength and I am more

than grateful to him for his guidance and assistance in the

past and which I know will always be forthcoming for the

remainder of my term.

In accordance with byelaw 28 the following were

appointed scrutineers for the ballot of the election

of Council for the year 1963/64 :— John R. McC.

Blakeney, Thomas Jackson, Brendan P. McCormack,

Alexander J. McDonald, Roderick J. Tierney

The following motion was proposed by Mr.

Desmond J. Collins and was seconded by Mr. Niall

S. Gaffney:—

That byelaw 3 of the Society be and is hereby

amended by the substitution of "6th January"

for "ist day of May" in lines 5 and 9 and by the

substitution of "ist July"

for

"Michaelmas

Sittings" in lines 7 and 8 and that any necessary

consequential amendments in the byelaws be

made to give effect thereto.

The motion, the effect of which is that members'

annual subscriptions to the Society will be payable

in January of each year from January 1964, instead

of in May, as heretofore, was passed unanimously.

Messrs. Edmund Carroll and T. D. McLoughlin

addressed the meeting under general business and

the meeting W3S then declared closed by the President.