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56
The Gazette of the Incorporated Law Society of Ireland.
[DECEMBER, 1909
was very properly raised over the costs in
Labourers' cottage cases.
The County Courts' Bill of a few years ago,
but for the efforts of some gentlemen whom
they happily had with them there to-day,
would have very largely extended the right of
audience in these Courts to the exclusion of
Solicitors. Countless other reasons might be
given to urge them as a body to take counsel
forthwith with a view to preserving their
rapidly-disappearing
rights, but he
(Mr.
Brady) hoped that there was no necessity to
further labour the argument with his hearers
who, by the very fact of their being members
of the Society, had given proof of their
desire to help in the promotion of the pro
fession's welfare.
Such a state of things as
he
had outlined
existed.
There only
remained for them to consider the remedy,
and he (Mr. Brady) said, without fear of
contradiction, that until some means was
devised whereby every Solicitor was obliged
to be a member of that Society, it was
difficult to preserve their rights. That was
not the place and it would be premature to
discuss the question of compulsory member
ship. The Council had promised to consider
the matter and report to them, and no
doubt they would go into it very carefully.
Might he (Mr. Brady) point out for a moment
how unfairly Solicitors were acting who
refused to become members of that Society.
They were reaping all the advantages of the
Society without contributing to its resources.
He was well aware that from time to time
suggestions were made that the Law Society
did very little for the profession. He held
no Brief for the Council.
It might be that
they could do no more, but he thought that
they did a great deal was amply evidenced
by the report in their hands, and, at any rate,
even if the contention was true that they
did very little, they could do very much more
if every Solicitor in Ireland was a member of
the Society (hear, hear).
As regarded the expense of membership,
that could hardly be an insuperable difficulty:
£1
and 10s., respectively, were not prohibitive
amounts for any practitioner however junior ;
but it seemed to him that if any effort was
seriously made towards compulsion, that the
financial aspect of the thing could be very
much smoothed in a very simple manner.
Compulsion, of course, would require an Act of
Parliament, and he (Mr. Brady) saw no reason
why, if a Bill for the purpose were promoted,
that a clause could not be inserted whereby
the annual licence duty of Dublin and Country
Solicitors would be reduced by
£\
and 10s.,
respectively, and that the £1 and 10s.,
respectively, be allocated to the payment of
the membership fee to the Society.
In that
way all Solicitors would have all the benefits
of membership without having to pay any
thing more than he at present paid, and in
the case of Solicitors who were already
members of the Society they would pay
£\
and 10s. less. He thought that even His
Majesty's Treasury, in the case of Ireland
at any rate, could hardly object to that
scheme.
MR. QUAID said that of the 756 members
of the Society 432 were Dublin members and
324 country members.
It worked out in
this way, that 1,600 members of the pro
fession were practically governed by 432
Solicitors in Dublin. Now that was not right,
and in order to inspire confidence it was
necessary
there should be
some drastic
change. The reason encroachments were
made on their rights by the Local Govern
ment Board was because they did not see a
highly-organised professional class, not an
active, vigorous remonstrance backed up by
1,600 Solicitors, but a pacific pronouncement
of a Council that really represented 400. He
would ask the Council to take serious notice
of the system of tendering that was going on
generally throughout the country. But what
were they able to do when breaches of the
rules came before them when they had 700
members
of
the profession outside
the
Society ?
There was not the slightest use in
passing resolutions unless they could follow
them up as the British Medical Association
did, who dealt with offences apparently the
most trivial in a very drastic way.
The
Incorporated Law Society could revoke their
first and second Charters, and could obtain
another by applying to the Lord Lieutenant,
and then the Council would have absolute
power to bring in all members of the pro
fession, which would be no loss to the Society.
MR. FRY said he would not follow the
other speakers in discussing matters that
would be brought before the Council in due
course, and would be considered by them and
reported on in May next. But he wished to