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so far. The Bill proposes the same reforms as
those adopted long ago both in the United Kingdom ■
and in Northern Ireland. I understand however
that the Bill is now receiving its final revisions in
the Departments o f Justice and Finance, and I am
glad to say that there appears to be every prospect
that it will shortly be introduced. A s . members
are aware, it is proposed that the stamp duties paid
in the past by apprentices and by solicitors on their
annual practising certificates will be no longer
collected by the State, but corresponding amounts
will be left available for the purposes o f the Society.
It is suggested that in return the Society will under
take a contribution to the cost o f law reporting
and will undertake the responsibility o f the books
so urgently required by our students. Certain
important financial provisions affecting the Society
and the Benchers still remain to be finally agreed.
The Bill will mark a very great advance to our
profession. In return we are voluntarily proposing
to establish a guarantee fund.
The Bill will impose on the Society even larger
responsibilities than heretofore, in the education and
training o f legal students. This will demand the
urgent attention o f the Society.
A t present the provisions for legal education in
this country leave much to be desired. This is
due to various causes. One o f these is the lack of
suitable text books. In the past we depended here
on the law texts produced in the United Kingdom.
As Irish law has progressively varied from British,
these books are no longer suitable. One o f our
endeavours in the future must be to fill this gap.
The problem however goes deeper than that.
This Society has always provided Lectures in law
and these in recent years have been supplemented
by lectures by members o f the Council and other
solicitors. In addition apprentices normally attend
lectures at University College or Trinity College.'
There is however an overlap between the two
courses o f lectures. It would appear very desirable
that the respective courses should be revised. There
is probably much to be said for an arrangement
whereby the University lectures should be devoted
to the general principles of law whereas our lectures
might be devoted to the aspects of law which more
immediately relate to the practice o f solicitors. I f
such a division of functions were made it would
become necessary that the attendance at University
lectures should be mandatory and not as at present
optional. The result should be beneficial both to
the Colleges and to us.
One is inclined to think that in addition to the
purely legal side o f the education required for our
profession, the level o f general education should
be raised. Here indeed there appears to be a positive
decline. The proportion o f apprentices who
obtain University degrees has in recent years actually
declined to a perceptible extent as compared with
that o f former years. This is in marked contrast
with the condition in other countries. For example,
in Northern Ireland it is now compulsory that an
apprentice should have his University degree before
commencing his legal education.
It seems to me that not only our profession but
the legal profession in both its branches, and also
the Universities are (or should be) deeply concerned
in this question. I have already mentioned the lack
of text books. It seems to me however that here
in Ireland we are failing also in a deeper study of
law and all it means. We have gradually been
building up in this country a code o f laws particularly
adapted to the requirements o f our State. This
work cannot however or should not be left to the
hurried work o f the legislators dealing with each
immediate problem in turn. Very much requires
to be done in the scientific study o f the principles
o f law as they aff-ct our own form o f Society in
this State. The Universities are the proper forum
for such a study.
I feel therefore that there is much to be done in
the way o f collaboration between the professional
education afforded by the Law Society and the
King’ s Inns on the one hand and the universities
on the other. Research and exploration should
be the proper field o f the Universities, practical
law that o f the professional bodies.
This important question impinges on that which
we have so constantly pressed, that is to say the
question o f a considered provision for law reform.
Little indeed in that direction has been done in this
State since it achieved its independence. A vast
work urgently calls for attention in the revision of
the statute book, the passing o f codifying Acts,
and the general bringing of the law into accordance
with modern and particularly Irish ideas. In this
regard our record is a very poor one indeed as
compared with for example the United Kingdom,
where such work was continued uninterrupted even
during the war years.
I feel that once we have attained the passing o f
the Bill the attention o f this Society should be
largely turned to the questions to which I have so
briefly referred. There are none more urgent.
There is one respect in which our profession has
made good progress. The local Bar Associations
have been active. Since our last Annual Meeting,
I am glad to say that two new Associations have
been formed, namely the Roscommon Bar Associa
tion and the Midlands Bar Association. A fortnight
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