The Gazette 1975

Interest on Purchase Money for failure to close

on agreed date

A complaint of this nature should not be submitted

to the Committee, but the parties should resolve such

questions with the assistance of their solicitors, so that

the contracts should be freely entered into. See Pro-

tective Building Contract in Opinions of the Council

on P. 19 of the 1967 Handbook.

Practice of builders of including contractual term

whereby disputes are to be referred to the arbi-

tration of the builder's own architect or his

nominee

Th e Committee considered this practice objection-

able, but felt it could not intervene directly. It should

be pointed out in the Gazette that the purchaser can

presumably refuse to execute the contract if this clause

is not amended.

Summer Meeting, 1976

It was decided to hold this Meeting in the Brandon

Hotel, Tralee, Co. Kerry, from 7th - 9th May, 1976.

Accountant for purposes of Solicitors' Accounts

Regulations, 1970

Mr. P. J. Connolly was appointed to this post.

24th July, 1975

Communications Course

Arrangements had been made with the Church of

Ireland Divinity Hostel, Dublin, to accommodate 12 -

14 solicitors who had volunteered.

County Council Housing Loans

It was decided that the Society should compile a

Register of Waivers. All present and future waivers

granted by the Council of the Society should then

be recorded in it.

Fee for taxation payable to Revenue Commis-

sioners

Solicitor opening a branch office above the office

of a Building Society

There would be no objection, provided there was a

separate entrance, that there was no internal com-

munication between the two offices, and that there

would be no question of sharing staff.

Book-keeping Examination Results

194 candidates had presented themselves for this

examination in June, and 157 had passed.

9th September, 1975

National Prices Commission Inquiry

Professor Lees outlined his terms of reference and

indicated that Professor M. O'Donoghue, T.C.D., and

Professor Bryan Carsberg, Dean of the Faculty of

Accountancy, Birmingham University, would be as-

sociated with him in the inquiry. He detailed his ap-

proach to the inquiry and expressed the hope that he

would be able to produce an interim report at least by

January, .1976. Professor Lees' terms of reference are

as follows: —

(1) to review the total income of solicitors and in-

creases in their total expenses since 1970 and, if

practicable, since 1965;

(2) to identify the ma i

classes of business and ex-

pense and to trace their behaviour in recent years;

(3) to determine to what extent there is "cross-subsidis-

ation" of one class of business by another;

(4) to consider "delays" in the legal system and parti-

cularly those associated with (a) Court Organisa-

tion and practice and (b) the Taxation of Costs;

(5) to comment on the scope for increased efficiency

among solicitors, for example:

(a) Amalgamations of Firms;

(b) the Introduction of Time Costing in preference

to scale fees;

(c) the elimination of Restrictive Practices;

(d) improvements in Education and Training;

(6) where practicable, to make comparisons with the

U.K.;

(7) in the light of the foregoing, to determine how

far the solicitors' present claim for an Increase in

Fees would be met.

See President's letter

Prices Commission on p.

251.

Th e Revenue Commissioners insisted this should

be payable by Bank draft. The solicitor concerned

should make arrangements with the Revenue Com-

missioners that his cheque would be acceptable in

future.

Examination Results:

Examination

First Irish

Second Irish

Preliminary

Candidates

242

177

Passed

233

Exemptions

7 2

254