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that the Bill has now been drafted by the Parlia

mentary Draftsman preparatory to its submission

to the Government for introduction in Dail Eireann.

It was ordered that representations should be made

to the appropriate Departments asking that the Bill

should contain provision for the remission of the

annual licence duty similar

to

that already

in

force in England and Northern Ireland, and for the

appropriation of the stamp duties payable on

solicitors' apprentices' indentures and certificates of

admission for the purpose of legal education of

solicitors' apprentices.

New Stamp Duties

A deputation was appointed to seek an interview

with the Minister for Finance to urge that the rates

of stamp duties imposed on conveyances and trans

fers of sales by Section 13 of the Finance (No. 2)

Act, 1947, should be abolished and the rates there

tofore in force restored.

Legal Aid in Murder Cases

THE President reported that, accompanied by the

Vice-Presidents and the Secretary, he had attended

at Government Buildings and been received by the

Attorney General, and that representations had been

made as to the inadequacy of the present contri

bution of the State towards the costs of defence in

assignment cases, supported by instances which

had been brought to the attention of the Council.

He stated that the Attorney General had promised

to give the matter early consideration.

Professional Etiquette

A MEMBER wrote enquiring whether, in the opinion

of the Council, he would be acting properly in

attending on the executor and reading over the will

to him, in a case in which he had prepared a will for

the testator some years before his death, in which

the testator's son was appointed sole executor.

After the death of the testator he had received a

letter from another solicitor stating that the latter

had been instructed by the executor who was anxious

to obtain particulars of the testator's will. No

authority from the executor to hand over the will

was furnished.

It was ordered that the Secretary

should reply stating that the solicitor who drew up

the will would be entitled to write to the executor

informing him of the letter which he had received,

stating that no authority to hand over the will had

been enclosed, and asking for the executor's direc

tions in the matter, but that the solicitor should not

attend on the executor to read over the will unless

He instructed him to do so.

FEBRUARY 3RD. The President in the Chair. Also

present: Messrs. Joseph Tyrrell, V.P., Joseph

Barrett, V.P., J. R. Quirke, N. S. Gaffney, F. J.

Gearty, A. J. Malone, William J. Norman, Henry P.

Mayne, John Dundon, G. A. Overend, W. S. Hayes,

Daniel O'Connell, Derrick M. Martin, John J.

Bolger, L. E. O'Dea, William L. Duggan, Reginald

J. Nolan, Roger Greene, Peter Woods, Dermot P.

Shaw, A. Cox, Patrick F. O'Reilly, Thomas A.

O'Reilly, D. R. Counahan, John J. Dunne.

The following was among the business transacted:

Undertakings

THE Council considered a report from a committee

on the subject of undertakings between solicitors.

The report was adopted and a note on the matter

is printed at foot of col. 2 of this page

Court Stenographers' Charges

THE Council considered a report as to the charges

made by Court stenographers for attending on the

trial of actions in the High Court and furnishing a

transcript of the evidence. The matter was referred

to a committee for consideration.

Petrol for Solicitors

IT was ordered that representations should be made

to the Department of Industry and Commerce that

solicitors should be given the same supplementary

allowance of petrol as clergymen and medical

practitioners.

(See page 57 post)

MEMBERSHIP OF THE SOCIETY

THE Council have made representations to the

appropriate authorities asking that on the consider

ation of the merits of applicants for positions in the

public service, for which solicitors are eligible,

additional marks should be awarded, as between the

solicitor candidates, for membership of the society.

UNDERTAKINGS BETWEEN

SOLICITORS

IN view of the frequency with which undertakings

are given and accepted on the completion of sales

and other professional

transactions

the Council

think it advisable to state their views on the obli

gations of solicitors who give them.

Such under

takings are often unavoidable in order to get business

completed, and unless reliance can be placed upon

them solicitors will decline to accept them, with

consequent delay and inconvenience to the public

and the profession. The following, in the. opinion

of the Council, are the general principles by which

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