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It was ordered that a copy of the whole resolution
should be sent to the President of the High Court
and that a copy of paragraphs x and 2 should be sent
to the Minister for Justice.
M
ay
14th, 1953. The President in the Chair-
Also present: Messrs. John Carrigan and James J.
O’Connor, Vice-Presidents ; Desmond J. Mayne,
William J. Norman, Barry M. O’Meara, Cornelius
J. Daly, Joseph P. Tyrrell, Peter E. O’Connell,
Edmund Hayes, John Maher, Thomas A. O’Reilly,
Sean
0
hUadhaigh, Francis J. Gearty, Henry St. J.
Blake, Arthur Cox, Patrick R. Boyd, Niall S.
Gaffney, Desmond J. Collins, John J. Sheil, Dermot
P. Shaw, George G. Overend, Ralph J. Walker,
Derrick M. Martin, Senator Patrick F. O’Reilly,
John J. Nash.
The following was among the business transacted :
Probate Office
T
he
Council considered a report from a Committee
on representations received by the Society from
members complaining of what was described as a
new practice in the Probate Office of refusing to
allow solicitors and their assistants to inspect the
grants awaiting collection and to take them up
when ready. Solicitors and their assistants are now
required to inspect the Index of Grants, and it is
stated that this takes a considerable time, particularly
in the case of a Dublin agent acting for a number
o f country solicitors. The Council adopted a report
from the Committee expressing the view that
members of the public should not be allowed to have
access to the grants owing to the danger of mistakes
which might result in the documents going astray.
The Committee were also of the opinion that the
present practice of requiring solicitors awaiting
grants to search in the Index to ascertain whether
they are ready necessitates unnecessary calls to the
office by solicitors’ clerks and causes deify and
waste of time. The Secretary was directed to write
to the Probate Officer and to the Department of
Justice suggesting—(1) that grants of Probate and
administration should be numbered in serial order;
(2) that a postcard should be sent out from the
Probate Office to the solicitor whose name appears
on the application for the grant, notifying him when
the grant is ready. The postcard should bear the
serial number of the grant and when handed back
in exchange for the original document would
operate as a receipt therefor; (3) the Minister and
the Probate Officer should also be requested to
consider the feasibility of sending grants, when
ready, by post to the solicitor for the applicant.
This p actice is at present in force in the Land
Registry in regard to original Land Certificates and
the Council could not,
prima fa cie
, see any reason
why it should not be adopted with equal facility
and without any unusual risk in regard to documents
such as grants of probate and administration.
Legal Aid
T
he
Secretary read a letter from the Attorney
General notifying the Society o f the following
changes in the scale of fees allowed to counsel and
solicitor assigned to defend persons accused of
murder. The scale in operation immediately prior
to the increase is shown in brackets.
Senior Counsel—£ 2 1 plus refreshers per day—
£ 10 10s. od. (£9 9s. od. plus per day
£6
6s. od.).
Junior Counsel—£ 14 14s. od. plus refreshers per
day—
£1
7s. od.
(£6
6s. od. plus per day
£4
4s. od.).
A City Solicitor
—£10
10s. od plus per day
£3 3s. od
(£4
4s. od. plus per day £3 3s. od.).
A Country Solicitor—£ 14 14s. od. plus per day
£4
4s. od.
(£6
6s. od. plus per day £3 3s. od.).
A country solicitor is also entitled to travelling and
subsistence allowance on the same scale as the
allowances given to higher Civil Servants.
ORDINARY GENERAL MEETING
OF THE SOCIETY
A
G
eneral
Meeting o f the Society was held in the
Society’s Library on Thursday, 14th May, 1953.
The President, Mr. James R. Quirke, took the
Chair. The following members o f the Society
signed their names as being present :—John
Carrigan, Vice-President; James J. O’Connor,
Vice-President; Henry St. J. Blake, Patrick R.
Boyd, Desmond J. Collins, Arthur Cox, Cornelius
M. J. Daly, Niall S. Gaffney, Francis J. Gearty,
John R. Halpin, Francis J. Lanigan, John Maher,
Desmond J. Mayne, John J. Nash, William J.
Norman, Peter E. O’Connell, Senator Patrick F.
O’Reilly, Thomas A. O’Reilly, Sean 6 hUadhaigh,
George G. Overend, Dermot P. Shaw, John J.
Sheil, Joseph P. Tyrrell, Ralph J. Walker, Derrick
M. Martin, Barry M. O’Meara, Edmund Hayes,
D. R. Pigot, Reuben J. Dodd, T. J. Kirwan, H.
Tarlo, J. P. King, R. W. R. Johnston, F. F. Callanan,
A . G. Quirke, R. J. Tierney, Ivan Howe, T. Desmond
McLoughlin.
The notice convening the meeting was-, by per
mission of the meeting, taken as read. The Minutes
o f the Ordinary. General Meeting, held on 20th
November, 1932, were read, confirmed and signed
by the Chairman.
The Chairman announced that he nominated the
following members of the Society to act as Scru
tineers of the Ballot for the election o f the Council,
to be held on 19th November, 1953
John R.
McC. Blakeney, James R. Green, Thomas Jackson,
Brendan P. McCormack, Roderick J. Tierney.
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