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GAZETTE
N E W S
MARCH 1995
Historic Development in Legal
Professional Training in Ireland
Pictured at the meeting in the Law Society, on 24 February are representatives from the Law Society
and the King's Inns and Chairman Mr. Justice Ronan Keane. From left to right: Mr. John Rogers,
S.C., King's Inns Representative;
Mr. Ken Murphy, Chairman Education Committee, Law Society;
Mr. Albert Power, Law School Principal, The Law Society, Mr. Justice Ronan Keane, Chairman of
AC LET; Mrs. Justice Susan Denham, King's Inns Representative;
Mr. Kevin Waldron, Director of
Education, King's Inns and Mr. Pat O 'Connor, Law Society Education
Committee.
"Innovative, exciting and historic"
were just some of the very approving
terms which have been used to welcome
the news that The Law Society and the
King's Inns have agreed that for the
first time their respective students will
enjoy the benefit of jointly taking a
common course as part of their
professional training. The course
chosen for joint teaching is litigation.
This initiative is the result of regular
discussions over a lengthy period
between representatives of the
Education Committee of The Law
Society and of the King's Inns. The Law
Society representatives involved were
Ken Murphy, Michael V. O 'Mahony
and
Pat O'Connor
and the King's Inns was
represented by Mrs. Justice
Susan
Denham
and
John Rogers
S.C.
It is intended to continue these meetings
to further explore mutually beneficial
co-operation between the two institu-
tions in legal professional training.
The joint course will consist of lectures
and tutorials to be taken side by side by
both students for the Bar and solicitors'
apprentices. The teaching will probably
be done half-and-half (or as close to this
as is sensible and convenient) by exist-
ing King's Inns lecturers/tutors and Law
Society lecturers/tutors. The same
educational materials will be used by all
students.
The decision to run a common litigation
course was formally made with the
adoption of identical policy papers at
the highest decision-making level by
both institutions. The policy paper was
adopted on 10 February, 1995 by the
Council of the Law Society and on 14
February, 1995 by the Council of the
King's Inns.
The precise form of the joint syllabus is
yet to be finalised but it is a measure of
the substantial nature of this joint
educational commitment that a course
of over 50 teaching hours duration is
being considered.
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The course of lectures and tutorials in
litigation will be in substitution for,
rather than in addition to, existing
courses taught by the two institutions. It
is hoped to commence the joint course
in the Autumn of 1995. Many
substantial logistical problems will have
to be overcome in this regard but they
are being addressed at present.
This is a pilot project. If it proves
successful then the Law Society and the
King's Inns will consider whether it
would be of value to run joint courses in
other subjects on a similar basis.
A catalyst for this initiative has been the
Advisory Committee on Legal
Education and Training ('ACLET')-
which is a very broadly based
committee representative of all parties
interested in legal education and
training in Ireland. It is chaired by Mr.
Justice
Ronan Keane.
It was at a
meeting of ACLET on 24 February,
1995 that the enthusiastic welcome,
referred to at the first line above, was
given to this initiative.
One of the key objectives for ACLET
over the last three years has been to
examine the recommendation in the Fair
Trade Commission Report of 1990 that
a substantial measure of joint
professional education of solicitors and
barristers, would promote efficiency and
higher standards in the public interest.
Not ice - AGM of SBA
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the
One Hundred and Thirty-First Annual
General Meeting of the SOLICITORS
BENEVOLENT ASSOCIATION will
be held at the Law Society, Blackhall
Place, Dublin, on Friday 7 April 1995
at 12 noon:
1. To consider the Annual Report and
Accounts for the year ended 30
November 1994.
2. To elect Directors.
3. To deal with other matters
appropriate to a General Meeting.
Geraldine
Pearse
Secretary