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GAZETTE
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 1 9 88
From the President
Everything must change . . .
including this Profession
It seems to me that there are t wo
areas in wh i ch not only must we
change but in wh i ch we must be
seen to change.
The first of these is the image of
the profession in the eyes of the
public, and the second is the
improvement of the service wh i ch
we must give to our clients (to
wh i ch I will return later).
It is a curious fact that, whereas
the individual solicitor is seen in a
favourable light by his client, (as
has been shown in our surveys),
the profession as a whole is seen
in an unfavourable light in the eyes
of the public.
The mo s t usual areas of
dissatisfaction can be expressed as
follows: —
" I t costs too much ."
" I t takes too long."
The client rarely appreciates the
c omp l e x i ty
of
a
pa r t i c u l ar
transaction, or the delay which can
o c c ur t h r o u gh c i r c ums t a n c es
outside a solicitor's control. Quite
clearly, the profession has failed to
communicate w i th our clients in
these matters, and that is a very
serious fault. I see t wo questions
w h i c h s hou ld be asked and
answered at every initial interview:
(1) " H ow much is it going to
c o s t ?"
(2) " H ow long will it take?"
The response of the solicitor to
these t wo questions means that
the client is going away from the
initial interview informed on these
t wo important matters.
Quite apart from this, there must
also be a major campaign to give
the public information on what a
solicitor does and the services we
offer to the public. Clearly, the Law
Society must give a lead in this
matter.
Howeve r, in t he c o n s umer
society in wh i ch we now live, the
public must realize, through us, that
any complaints wh i ch they may
have are being dealt w i t h in a fair
and efficient manner. The public
tends to view solicitors dealing
w i t h so l i c i t o r s' ma t t e rs w i t h
suspicion, and the Law Society has
a l r eady
s u g g e s t ed
to
t he
Government that it welcomes lay
representation on some of our com-
mittees, more particularly the
Disciplinary Committee. It may
even be necessary to appoint
someone, like a lay ombudsman in
legal affairs, to wh om the public
could have easy access, as a
further means of increasing public
confidence in our profession.
As I said at the outset, all this
means change. We must accept
the challenge wh i ch it brings and
find the correct answers. Your
Council will be considering such
matters in the course of the year.
It is vitally important, in the future
interests of the public and the
profession that you, the members,
contribute to the debate.
Accordingly, I invite you the
members to write to me. This is
again an exercise in dialogue and
communication wh i ch I am more
than anxious to improve during my
year of office.
•
Thomas D. Shaw
President
T H E
S O L I C I T O R S '
B E N E V O L E NT
A S S O C I A T I ON
A CASE IN
NEED
Mrs. "X" is in her late 40% she is the widow
of a Solicitor, has five children under 21. Her
only income is a widow% pension and
family allowance. She has to provide for her
family and maintain a home. She faces this
enormous responsibility alone. Who can she
turn to for help? — The
Solicitors'
Benevolent Fund.
The Solicitors' Benevolent Association
assists such cases - and many others where
the age of dependants of members of the
profession ranges from "under 10" to "over
eighty". The Committee of the Association
meets monthly and its work covers the
entire country, north and south. The
Committee funds come from annual
subscriptions from members of the Law
Society of Northern Ireland and The Incorpor-
ated Law Society of Ireland, together with
additional subscriptions received from Bar
Associations, and individual Solicitors or
firms of Solicitors. In recent years the calls
on the Association's resources have become
more numerous and this year the Committee
faces a relatively large deficit. It urgently
needs extra funds. Subscriptions can be
sent to the Secretary, Ms Clare Leonard, The
Solicitors' Benevolent Association, 40 Lr.
Fitzwilliam Square, Dublin 2, or c/o The Law
Society, Blackhall Place, Dublin 7.
THE S IMON COMMUN I TY
helps the homeless in Dublin, Cork, Dundalk and Galway. Services
provided include soup-run, shelter, visiting, and residential homes.
You can help by giving a donation, supporting our shops (we take
clothes, shoes, household items, books), or by becoming a
volunteer. Further details are available from:-
SIMON COMMUNITY (NATIONAL OFFICE)
P.O. BOX 1022
DUBLIN 1
Phone: 711606
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