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GAZETTE
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 1978
to a ceiling of £1 million.
The President further
stated
that, as regards the Compensation Fund one must ensure
that there will be adequate funds to meet any contingency
that may arise.
Mr. Gerard Doyle
pointed out that
£25,000 was the statutory minimum.
The President
stated that the eventual target was £1 million which could
only be achieved gradually. An Insurance Premium was
provided to indemnify the Scheme, and he explained the
difficulties with regard to indemnity in answer to
Mr. T.
C.
Gerard 0*Mahony. The Director General
stated that
Reports were prepared up to 30 September in every year,
and that every effort was made to get these Reports out in
time.
Mr. William A. Osborne
replied to specific details
asked by
Mr. Colm Price
about the Balance Sheet.
Mr. John Gleeson
then made the point that, as the bulk
of the English Law Reports would be kept in future in
Blackhall Place, there would be no possibility of a
Solicitor arguing any case which would require these
authorities in the Four Courts.
Mr. Michael CMahony
mentioned that the American Law Reports were not
available at the Bar library and that when they were
needed, they had to be brought down from the King's
Inns. Mr. Gleeson pointed out that it is only very rarely
that American Law Reports were required in arguing
cases in our Courts and that they would not be nearly as
indispensible as the English Law Reports. He said that he
had learned that the Director General had informed the
English Law Society, in response to a query, that it was
expected that when the new courses of training for young
Solicitors came into operation, the new Solicitors would
be much more likely to argue their own cases. He
expressed the opinion that they would be very much
impeded from doing so under the proposed division of the
Library.
Mr. John Buckley
in reply, stated that, although
the main Library would be in Blackhall Place, it was
intended to provide a Library for practitioners in the Four
Courts. He mentioned in detail the Reports, Journals and
Textbooks which a Library Sub-Committee had
recommended should remain in the Four Courts. Bound
copies of the Journal of the European Communities will
be kept in the Four Courts while a microfilm edition will
be available in Blackhall Place. As the Four Courts
Library would be essentially a practitioner's Library,
additions would only be made in the light of experience
gained.
Mr. Gleeson
emphasised that if books were
required in Court urgently, it would be most inconvenient
to have to collect them in Blackhall Place. While Mr.
Hurley, the Librarian of the Law Library, had a personal
arrangement with Mr. Gavan Duffy to exchange books,
this arrangement could hot be extended. It was essential
to emphasise that English Reports were used in the
Courts every day.
Mr. Brendan Allen
replied that
Counsel could obtain those Reports for themselves from
the Law Library, and that it was essential for solicitors to
have a professional law library.
Mr. Quentin Crivon
expressed concern at the failure of
the Society to reply to correspondence written by
members. In particular he cited a case of a complaint
which had been made by one member against another in
January, 1974, anchnoted that-in this particular case, no
action appeared to have been taken by the Society in
respect of the complaint and repeated letters elicited only
acknowledgment cards. Mr. Crivon pointed out that if the
public made a complaint against a Solicitor, the Solicitor
concerned would be expected to reply to the Society
within seven days as otherwise drastic action would be
threatened, and sometimes carried out. Members were
entitled to receive service for which they paid handsomely.
The President replied that he would take up the"
complaint with the Chairman of the Registrar's
Committee.
Mr. David Plgot,
in replying, said that as
Chairman of the Registrar's Committee he would ensure
that the complaint was fully investigated.
The following motion was proposed by
Mr. Gerald
Hlckey,
Chairman of the Finance Committee, and
seconded by
Mr. Walter Beatty.
That bye-law 3 of the Society be revoked and that the
following bye-law be submitted:
"The annual membership subscription shall be — For
a practising member who has been admitted to the roll of
Solicitors for three years or upwards, £40; For a
practising member who has been admitted to the roll of
Solicitors for less than three years, £20; For all other
members, £10;
Or such sum or sums as the Society in General
Meeting may from time to time determine, and shall be
payable in advance on 6th January, in each year or on
acceptance as a member provided that a new member
accepted and joining the Society for the first time after 1st
July in any year shall be required to pay only half the
appropriate subscription to the following January 5th
and such new member shall be entitled to vote at the then
ensuing election for the Council provided that he shall
have been a member at least the week before the date of
the election".
Mr. Hickey explained that unfortunately the increased
subscription was absolutely essential in order to balance
the budget.
Mr. Patrick Noonan
objected strongly to the increase
since country members had to pay town agents.
Mr.
Francis Daly
and
Mr. Adrian Bourke
asked whether, in
view of the fact that country members would not use the
facilities in Blackhall Place regularly, a plan could be
devised whereby a lower subscription could be applied to
them.
Miss Carmcl Kfllecn,
as a local authority Solicitor,
also objected to the increase. She maintained that such
Solicitors should be allowed membership at half fee. Mr.
Hickey stressed that the Finance Committee had
considered this matter in depth, and had reached the
conclusion that these increases were absolutely necessary.
The annual subscription for non-practising Solicitors
remained at £10.00 but it was not possible to accede to
any further reductions in subscription.
In reply to Mr. Thomas Costelloe,
Mr. Joseph Dundon
stressed that the amount of the Compensation Fund had
been lowered. It would not be right to differentiate
between city and country members, and it was essential in
order to maintain the unity of the profession that there
be one subscription for all.
The President then put this resolution before the
meeting, and it was declared passed.
The date of the next Annual General Meeting was fixed
for 11.00 a.m. on Friday, 17th November, 1978. The
Director General explained that the Council Meeting
would be held at 2.30 p.m. on that day and that in future
the Annual Dinner Dance of the Society would be held on
the Friday evening instead of Thursday.
Mr. Thomas Costelloe
and
Mr. T. C. Gerard
O'Mahony
asked the Meeting to take note of the
continuous services which
Mr. Gavan Duffy
had
rendered and was rendering to the members in providing
an efficient up-to-date service in the Library. The
President said he sincerely appreciated the remarks of
those paying tribute to Mr. Gavan Duffy and expressed
the hope that his services would continue to be available