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GAZETTE
SEPTEMBER 1985
Correspondence
The Editor,
Incorporated Law Society Gazette,
Blackhall Place,
Dublin 7.
Dear Sir,
Free Legal Advice Centres would be grateful for the
opportunity to appeal once again, through you, to the
profession for financial support for its work. This is the
seventeenth year of FLAC's work, and since 1980 (when
the legal aid scheme was introduced) we have relied
almost entirely on voluntary donations from solicitors
and barristers.
FLAC now runs 22 part time centres around Dublin,
and a full time office in the city centre. These services
are for the many people whose problems are not dealt
with by the state scheme, such as social welfare and
employment appeals. In the past year we have handled
over 9,000 cases.
If we are to continue to meet this need we urgently
need funds. We are grateful for the generosity of the
profession in the past, and feel confident that members
will respond generously on this occasion also.
Yours faithfully,
Eamonn Conlon,
Chairperson, FLAC.
49 South William St., Dublin 2.
Editor,
The Gazette,
Blackhall Place,
Dublin 7.
12 December, 1985
Apprentices/Legal Offices Olympic Handball Club
The Dublin Senior League Division Two for men will
be run off over the months of January to March.
The following teams are already entered:-
Ringsend
The Office of Public Works.
Rush.
St. Marys College, Marion.
St. Patricks College, Drumcondra.
North Wall.
TCD.
UCD.
The Rockets.
Anyone interested in playing for the Blackhall Place
team should contact Catherine O'Connor at: 20 Upper
Merrion Street. Phone: 760981.
Yours faithfully,
Catherine O'Connor,
20 Upper Merrion Street,
Dublin 2.
Phone: 760981. 963048 (home).
The Editor,
8November, 1985
The Incorporated Law Society of Ireland Gazette,
Blackhall Place,
Dublin 7.
September 1985 - "Plain English"
Dear Sir,
I enjoyed reading the article on "Plain English" in
your September, 1985 issue. It reminded me of the
excellent example of Haigspeak to be found in the Law
Society's own standard form of Solicitor's Undertaking.
The wording for the "Client's Authority and Retainer"
frequently causes me embarrassment when I try to
explain to an unsuspecting client what it means — in
plain English. As a public relations exercise, it must rate
as a non-starter.
The present wording is as follows:-
"In consideration of your giving the foregoing Under-
taking, I hereby Undertake that I will not discharge
your retainer as my Solicitor in connection with the
foregoing transaction unless and until I have satisfact-
orily procured your release from the obligations
imposed by such Undertaking and to indemnify you and
all your partners and your and their Executors, Admin-
istrators and Assigns against any loss arising from my
act or default".
The above consists of one sentence of 68 words. As a
suggested alternative which I'm quite sure can be
improved upon - I would like to put forward the fol-
lowing:-
"If you give the attached undertaking, I for my part
undertake not to discharge you as my Solicitor until you
have been released from the undertaking. I also agree to
indemnify you, your partners and successors against
any loss arising from my act or default".
I would be interested to hear of any other examples of
gobbledy gook from other practitioners.
Yours faithfully,
Ann Fitzgerald & Co., Solicitors,
70 Shandon Street,
North Gate Bridge,
Cork.
Comment. . .
(continued from page 327)
Paper 'habitual residence', being the Continental Version
of Domicile, is gaining ground even in the United King-
dom and in the view of the Commission it provides
" a more appropriate and simpler solution in most
cases but also is in harmony with the trends in Euro-
pean Private International Law. In regard to the
specific problem of the domicile of married women
the adoption of habitual residence as a connecting
factor would remove any discrimination . . . "
We would urge the Government to reconsider its pro-
posed bill and that rather than 'tinkering' with an
outmoded legal doctrine, abolishes it completely, even if
it means adopting the principal of 'habitual residence'
contained in the Fianna Fail Bill. In our view if they do
that the law will be the better for it, and that surely is
what parliament and legislation should be all about.
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