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GAZETTE
APRIL 1 988
solicitors in England at least over
the next six years. They are finding
that the number that graduate each
year are not sufficient to meet the
demands and they are in particular
difficulty in relation to the operation
of their legal aid service. I certainly
do not want to feel that our Law
Society is educating its graduates
for export, but I do strongly feel
that given the situation which at
present exists of an over supply of
solicitors in our country, we must
make sure that our graduates are as
well educated and trained to take
their place in the legal world
outside of our country as we can
and ce r t a i n ly the issue of
reciprocity with England must loom
large on our Agenda in the next year.
It is also abundantly clear that
the continental lawyer is paid at a
consistently higher level than his
Irish counterpart. For example, a
solicitor doing a legal aid case in
Austria is paid at an average rate of
£340 per case and the Austrian
Law Society feels, and points out
to the Government, that at that
level of fee, he is making a
significant contribution to the Social
Welfare aspect of the case.
What I have described in this
article is all part of the changing
scene in the legal profession about
which I wrote at the start of my
year. I believe that this change is
going to continue and possibly at
an even faster rate than I had originally
envisaged. What is abundantly clear
to me is that whatever change
comes in, there will always be a
need for a good lawyer with access
to specialist knowledge and at a
charge which is commensurate
wi th the market place.
Let us strive with all our might to
attain this goal.
THOMAS D. SHAW
President
Dr Keith W Snape
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EXPERT
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INAUGURATION OF
IRISH LEGAL HISTORY
SOCIETY
The Irish Legal History Society was
inaugurated in the joint presence of
the Chief Justice of Ireland, Mr.
Justice Finlay, and of the Lord Chief
Justice of Northern Ireland, Lord
Lowry, at a reception held in Trinity
College, Dublin, on Friday 12th
February 1988. Included in the
attendance were Mr. Jus t i ce
Henchy and Mr. Justice McCarthy
of the Supreme Court, Mr. Justice
Barrington and Mr. Justice Blayney
of the High Court, Mr. Nial Fennelly,
S.C., representing the Chairman of
the General Council of the Bar of
Ireland, Mr. Michael Lavery, Q.C.,
Chairman of the Executive Council
of the Inn of Court of Northern
Ireland, Mr. Michael O'Mahony,
representing the President of the
Incorporated Law Soc i e ty of
Ireland, other barristers and
members of the solicitors' pro-
fession, members of the Law
Reform Commission and many
academic lawyers, historians from
the university history departments
and archivists, north and south.
The Chancellor of Dublin University,
Dr. F. J. C. O'Reilly, was also
present as was the Provost of
Trinity, Dr. W. A. Watts.
In their addresses, the Chief
Justice and the Lord Chief Justice
welcomed the initiative that had led
to the establishment of the new
Society and wished it well in the
years ahead.
The Chairman of the Society, Mr.
Justice Costello, explained the
origins of the Society and the •
Secretary, Professor W. N.
Osborough, of the Trinity Law
School who also spoke, announced
that the Society expected to
commence its series of scholarly
volumes on Irish legal history topics
with the publication in 1989 of a
collection of essays on the history
of the Irish legal profession.
The Chairman concluded the
proceedings by expressing the
thanks of the Society to the
Provost for his kindness in acting as
host on the occasion of what was
a memorable and unprecedented
event in the Irish legal calendar.
The subscription to the Society
costs £30 (or £28 Sterling).
Student subscribers pay £15 (or
£14 Sterling). Subscriptions may be
sent to The Secretary, Professor
W. N. Osborough, School of Law,
Trinity College, Dublin 2, from
whom further particulars may be
obtained.
The executive committee, which,
pending the adoption of a cons-
t i t u t i on for the new Society
(expected later this year), currently
administers the affairs of the
Society consists of: Mr. Justice
Costello (Chairman); Professor
W. N. Osborough (Secretary); Daire
Hogan, Esq., Solicitor (Treasurer);
Dr. Art Cosgrove, University
College Dublin; Dr. David Craig,
Public Record Office of Ireland; and
Professor D. S. Greer, Queen's
University Belfast.
Pictured at the inaugural reception for the Irish Legal History Society held
in Trinity College on 12 February 1988 are (from L. to R.): Dr. W. A. Watts,
the Provost of Trinity; Mr. Justice Finlay, Chief Justice; Lord Lowry, Lord
Chief Justice of Northern Ireland; and professor W. N. Osborough,
secretary of the Society.
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