The Gazette 1980

GAZETTE

JULY-AUGUST

- Continued from page 78

this development but in my view it is to be welcomed on

at least two counts. First from the point of view of the

public interest, it represents help for the citizen with

problems that he cannot easily solve for himself. The help

may not be from the best trained source but frequently it is

more than adequate and in most cases it is very much

better than no help at all, which in practice would

normally be the alternative. Secondly, from the narrow

point of view of the lawyer's self interest lay advisory

agencies tend to generate a great deal of work for lawyers

mainly by direct referrals. It is in any event a fact of

modern life and likely to increase.

There is therefore a movement in many countries

reflecting a heightening of consciousness about the

existence of the unmet need for help with legal problems

and concern about ways of meeting it. Many new ways of

bringing services to the client have been developed in the

past decade and I dare say that in the next ten years we

will discover even more. In the enactment of a new civil

legal aid scheme the Irish Government is taking a major

step in securing equality of justice for its citizens and

although I have ventured to offer some criticisms of the

scheme I recognise that it represents a step in the right

direction. Moreover the first step is not I hope the last. In

this field we are learning all the time and we try to move

as far and as fast as our respective financial resources

permit. I wish the Irish scheme much success and look

forward to returning some time in the future to review

with you the progress made.

Blackhall Place

The President's Hall has been subject to yet another

change of use for which, doubtless, planning and bye

law permission were obtained long in advance. Since

ceasing to accommodate the religious observance of the

Pupils of

The Free Hospital and School of King Charles

the Second,

the President's Hall has filled many widely

diverging roles from the Presentation of Parchments to

newly admitted colleagues, through the Whiddy enquiry,

Seminars, Dinners and Weddings to, most recently,

providing a "night life" atmosphere for Rock Fox and his

famous orchestra and "Chris Meehan & Friends" Jazz

Rock Group.

On Thursday, April 10th, the President's Hall was the

setting for the first public recital of classical music, under

'he auspices of the Music Association of Ireland. The

occasion was the coming-out recital of Una Hunt, a

native of Belfast who had studied the piano at the Ulster

College of Music, at the Royal Irish Academy of Music in

Dublin and at the Hochschule Fur Musik, Vienna.

Miss Hunt's excellently played programme included J.S.

Bach's French Suite No. 6 B V W 817; Beethoven's

Piano Sonata, Opus 110, in A. Flat; Sonata in three

movements (1910) by Igor Stravinsky and Chopin's

Piano Sonata in B Minor Opus 58.

The acoustics of the Presidents Hall were found to be

surprisingly good and would, it was felt, be even better

with a large audience. It is hoped that the Music

Association of Ireland will use the Presidents Hall for

similar recitals in the future.

Replying to

correspondence — the

Solicitor's obligations

The Society is seriously concerned at the number of

complaints it is receiving from clients and other Solicitors

arising out of the failure of Solicitors to acknowledge or

reply to correspondence. In certain cases such failure may

in fact amount to professional misconduct.

Between professional colleagues the failure of one

party to answer correspondence creates a great deal of

extra work for the other Solicitor involved, not to mention

a natural sense of annoyance and frustration at

correspondence being ignored. There may be many

reasons why a Solicitor is not immediately in a position to

fully reply to a letter received from a colleague, but there

is not reason why he cannot at least acknowledge the

letter.

When complaints received by the Society from clients

of Solicitors are analysed, it is found that the principal

reason why such clients have sought the assistance of the

Society is that they cannot get any information from their

Solicitors. A particular Solicitor can be carrying out the

work that he has been instructed to do, but unless that

Solicitor regularly communicates with his client there will

be the inevitable break-down in the professional

relationship. The client most likely will not know the

procedures for extracting a Grant of Probate or bringing

a High Court action to trial and it is therefore essential

that the Solicitor should correspond with his client and

keep him fully informed about what has happened, and

what is to happen, and when. It is, of course, even more

important that any correspondence received from the

client should be promptly acknowledged and fully

answered.

The Council urges all practitioners to communicate

regularly with clients and answer promptly all

correspondence from clients or fellow practitioners and so

ensure that the standards we all expect from Solicitors in

practice are maintained.

Independent Actuarial Advice regarding

Interests in Settled Property

and

Claims for Damages

BACON & WOODROW

Consulting Actuaries

58 Fitzwilliam Square

Dublin

(Telephone 762031)