The Gazette 1975

PRELIMINARY NOTICE

The next issue of the July-August Gazette will be published about 20th August next. Limited

material for this issue should be received at latest by 25th July next. The following issue will be

that for September. Material for that issue should reach the Editor at latest by 20th August next.

ORDINARY GENERAL MEETING

The President, Mr. W. A. Osborne, took the Chair

at the Ordinary General Meeting of the Society which

was held in Jury's Hotel, Westport,. Co Mayo, on Sat-

urday, 9th May, 1975. The notice convening the Meet-

ing, and the Minutes of the last Ordinary General

Meeting held in Ennis, Co. Clare in May, 1974, were

taken as read and duly signed. Mr. Michael Egan of

Castlebar, President of the Mayo Solicitors' Bar Assoc-

iation, welcomed the delegates to the first General

Meeting to be held in Co. Mayo.

Mr. P. C. Moore proposed, and Mr. Michael Houli-

han seconded the resolution that Messrs. Richard

Branigan, Brend an McCormack, Roderick Tierney,

Alexander McDonald and Eunan McCarron be appoint-

ed Scrutineers of the Ballot in respect of the election

for the Council for 1975-76.

This resolution was passed unanimously.

The President then addressed the meeting as follows:

This year, I am in the happy position of being able

to report substantial progress in several areas of the

Society's activities.

This

particularly

the

case

the

field

of Education and in the training of future members

of the profession. I am glad to say that the regulations

providing for a University Degree as a condition of

entry to the profession, as from 1st October, 1975, have

now been made. Concurrent with a higher standard

of entry to the profession, the Society has in hand the

improvement and enlargement of its training course in

practical subjects. This will take some time to imple-

ment fully, but as and from October next, apprentices

will be required to undergo training in the field of Tax-

ation and in the practical rspects of Conveyancing. The

range of such additional courses will be augmented as

quickly as possible. Before leaving his are? of act-

ivity, I must pay tribute to the practical help and con-

tinuing support which the Society has received from the

Universities and from Mr. Cooney, Minister for Justice.

Without that help, it would not have been possible to

make these changes. The Minister recently acknow-

ledged the value of the work done by the Society by

saying how appreciative he was of the Society's work

in concluding this matter.

Tribute is also due to the members of our Committee

whose long and arduous hours of hard work over the

past six months, has resulted in the introduction of

the new regulations. It follows that in future, appren-

tices will be University Graduates undergoing post

graduate practical training. In these circumstances, the

Council of the Society considers that the charging

of apprenticeship premiums are inappropriate in the

future. Consequently, I am authorised to inform our

members that as and from the 1st October next, the

Council will not approve of the charging of premiums

to apprentices under the new system. I will seek the

co-operation of all of our members in implementing

this new policy.

In this rapid changing world there is need

for constant updating and of revision of prac-

tices and procedure, so as to meet fully and ad-

equately

the needs of a changing society. This

need applies also to members of our profession,

as well as to persons in other walks of life. We in the

Council are conscious of this need. In this respect,

your Council has in hand projects providing for im-

provement in Conveyancing procedures, including those

dealing with the sale of flats, which has been

a very difficult problem, not only for the profession,

but also for the public, particularly in the field of bor-

rowing on the security of this type of property. The

updating and reprinting of the Society's Handbook,

and of the opinions of the Council, (2) the presentation

of the new taxation measures in understandable and

digestible form, (3) the review of our costs system, (4)

the establishment of a suitable course for the training of

legal executives, (5) a Communications Training

Centre, as well as courses for profession and students,

and (6) a back up service in the accountancy area of

office management are all contemplated. Two courses

in taxation are being arranged for Dublin and

Cork. Recently as you know, a Superannuation Scheme

has been successfully introduced, which the Society

hopes will be for the benefit of its members. The in-

volvement of the younger members of our profession

and our students in the Free Legal Aid scheme and their

arrangements

Seminars on

legal

and

other

subjects are evidence of a sincere commitment in the

social field. Mr. John Connolly has been appointed

Accountant to the Society from 1st June 1975.

Since our last meeting, the Society has discussed

fully with the Minister for Finance and the Revenue

Commissioners

the

involved

subject of

existing

and proposed taxation legislation. While these discus-

sions have been most amicable and while our mem-

bers have always and will, subject to the Constitution,

have regard to the law as it is enacted, nevertheless,

we deprecate the continuing and increasing in-

trusion into the confidential affairs of our clients.

So far it has been possible to reach an accommodat-

ion with the Revenue Commissioners, but the position

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