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Summer Meeting, Westport, May, 1975
(From left) Robert F. Laurie, Secretary, Scottish Law Society, J. D. Wheelans, M.B.E..
President, Scottish Law Society, W. A. Osborne, President, Incorporated Law Society of Ire-
land, Leslie H. Boyd, President, Incorporated Law Society of Northern Ireland, Sydney
Lomas, Secretary, Incorporated Law Society of Northern Ireland.
l s
now being reached where, as a profession of lawyers,
We may be obliged to cry halt. It would be a tragic
situation if we reached a stage where the people of
Ireland were unable to consult with their professional
advisers, because they feared than an all power-
ful State would demand that the confidence so divulged
be disclosed to it and to the clients detriment. Hope-
fully that situation will not be reached. The confidences
a client must be rigidly preserved in full. That
is our clear duty.
We are also very concerned about the criticism which
bas been levelled at the profession in recent months.
Unfortunately the justifiable annoyance of clients,
caused by inefficiencies and the delays of what in effect
is from three to four per cent of our members, becomes
inflated by publicity and consequently reflects on the
entire profession. We accept without hesitation con-
structive criticism, but we are entitled to object to
criticism which tends to be destructive and which
lowers the standard of our integrity in the public eye.
Without hesitation I say that 9 6% to 97% of our
members are men and women of the highest integrity,
who are providing an excellent service to the public of
which they may be proud. A solicitor's relationship
with his own client is a general rule, as fine a relat-
ionship as one can find anywhere. Some of the discon-
tent which exists and results in complaints, is due to
the lack of understanding by the public of the diffi-
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