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GAZETTE
OCTOBER 1977
(ii) Superannuation Scheme: The Finance Committee report which follows, details the satisfactory state of the
Fund which is now in excess of £400,000. A further promotional drive on behalf of the scheme will be made
next February/March.
(iii) Company Formation: The demands on the service continue to increase, which in itself is an indication that
the service is appreciated by members. At the time of going to press, a special Committee under the
chairmanship of Mr. Maurice Curran, is reviewing this and related services, including town agency, with a
view to improving and expanding the facilities for members.
(iv) Saleable Forms & Publications: The Publications Committee, under the Chairmanship of Mr. Walter
Beatty has detailed its programme later in the report. Otherwise, through its various Committees the
Council is endeavouring to standardise forms and produce them for members at a minimum cost.
(v) Employment Register: This year efforts were made to re-activate and expand the Society's Employment
Register. It is satisfactory to record that the needs of several firms which had difficulty in recruiting staff,
were met. It is hoped that employers and solicitors seeking appointments will avail of the service.
REGISTRAR'S
COMMITTEE
David R. Pigot,
Chairman
William B. Allen
Donal G. Binchy
Anthony E. Collins
Carmel Killeen
William D. McEvoy
Patrick F. O'Donnell
Michael V. O'Mahony
Thomas D. Shaw
Andrew F. Smyth
David R. Pigot,
Chairman
3.1
The responsibility of the Registrar's Committee is to investigate complaints brought against
Solicitors, and in appropriate cases, to take the necessary action to ensure compliance by Solicitors with their
statutory and ethical obligations both to their clients and fellow members of their profession.
3.2
The Interview Board, established in January 1976, has continued to ease the burden of work on the
full Registrar's Committee. While this less informal enquiry into complaints appears to be preferred by
members of the Profession who are required to attend before it, it must be emphasised that only selected
matters are in the first instance referred to the Interview Board. More serious matters continue to be referred
initially to the full Registrar's Committee.
3.3
The type of complaints received by the Society maintained their customary form, the largest single
complaint being of the failure of Solicitors to deal with their clients' business either with reasonable expedition
or, in some cases, at all. Unhappily, the number of complaints showed a not insubstantial increase in the
period under review over the corresponding period in 1976.
3.4
Once again, it is noted that a very high proportion of the total complaints received were against sole
practitioners or firms with a single principal. Such a Solicitor is expected by his clients to maintain a high
degree of competence and expertise in every facet of his practice, something that is becoming, if not
impossible, certainly extremely difficult due to the ever increasing complexity of our Laws today. I believe
enlargement or amalgamation of existing firms would permit a degree of specialisation that would greatly
reduce these difficulties and consequently the number of complaints by members of the public reaching the
Society.
3.5
In the period from January to September 1977, the Interview Board dealt with 167 items. A further
164 items were dealt with by the Registrar's Committee, many of these having been referred from the
Interview Board. Some 40 cases were referred by the Registrar's Committee to the Disciplinary Committee
for consideration. Naturally, not all of these cases related to different Solicitors and some of the items were
simply the same cases being followed up on a later occasion.
3.6
In view of the failure of many Solicitors against whom complaints are made to answer
correspondence from the Society and to attend before the Interview Board or Registrar's Committee when
called upon so to do, it may be helpful to state that the Interview Board and Registrar's Committee consider it
is part of their function to offer where reasonably possible assistance to the Solicitor complained against in an
effort to resolve his problem. Given the co-operation of the Solicitor complained against, many of the
complaints reaching the Society could be resolved in their early stages and the necessity of the Solicitor
attending before the Interview Board or Registrar's Committee (often at considerable personal inconvenience)
thereby avoided.
3.7
Steps were taken during the year to reduce the number of Accountants' Certificates currently in
arrears. Thanks to the co-operation received from the members of the Profession, these efforts have met with
considerable degree of success. The Committee is confident that the Profession as a whole appreciates the
importance of ensuring compliance with the Solicitors Accounts Regulations and will continue to co-operate
with the Society in its efforts to ensure that all Members' Accountants' Certificates are brought up to date and
so maintained.
3.8
Up to September 1977, the Society's Accountant, Mr. P. J. Connolly, carried out some nine new
investigations of Solicitors' Clients' accounts. Many other visits were paid by him to Solicitors' Offices
following up previous investigations carried out by him, and in each case, reports were submitted by him to
the Registrar's Committee which, where necessary, took appropriate action. The Committee is very
appreciative of the thorough nature of Mr. Connolly's investigations and reports and would express their
gratitude to him for all his assistance throughout the year.
3.9
On behalf of the Committee, I would like to express our thanks also to the Director General (who is
also a member of the Interview Board), Mr. Fintan Burke and Miss Margaret Casey, and indeed all the other
members of the Secretariat for their assistance and guidance and unfailing courtesy to us all throughout the
year.
3.10
Finally, may I express my personal thanks to all of my colleagues on the Committee for their
unending patience with and support of me as Chairman, and in particular, to Mr. Tom Shaw who attended
the monthly Meetings of the Interview Board as well as those of the Registrar's Committee.
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