The Gazette 1995

MAY/JUNE 1995

| back to Donnybrook by courier, where

television sub-editors cut the pictures

in accordance with my instructions.

RTE's mobile outside broadcast van

! has brought a new dimension to court

reporting, as I may now also be

required to do a live interview with

the newscaster on the one o'clock

news. That can be difficult,

particularly when the earpiece doesn't

I fit, the traffic is so loud that I can't

hear the questions and the local

gurriers are all jumping up and

down behind me, shouting abuse at

the camera!

As well as exterior pictures, RTE now

has a reasonably large file of pictures

of the interior of the Four Courts,

showing the Supreme Court, the

Round Hall, the High Court and the

I Law Library. Those have all been

| filmed since 1990 with the permission

: of the former Chief Justice and the

Bar Council. I believe they give an

additional impact to stories that would

otherwise be visually flat and

uninteresting, by acquainting the

viewing public with the interiors of

! their courts.

Graphics can add an extra visual

dimension to a story, but they take

Í time to prepare. They must also be

absolutely accurate, so it's often

necessary to check quotes against the

text of a judgment.

Between one and two o'clock, I may

do an interview for the News At One,

file copy or check on other cases. At

two o'clock, it's back into court for

the continuation of the morning case.

It's important to check that nothing

vital was missed between the time I

left to file the lunchtime story and the

court rising for lunch. Occasionally a

judge may make a ruling while I am

out of court and, without the

assistance of my newspaper

i colleagues, it would be easy to find

myself unaware of the ruling and

possibly filing a story which could be

, construed as contempt.

! Another perpetual danger is

defamation. In every case, both sides

watch the RTE news reports carefully

Í and, frequently, one side (usually the

losing side in a civil case) is unhappy

' about the coverage. That can lead to

threats of legal action against RTE.

Fortunately - so far - there have been

no successful defamation actions

against RTE because of any story I

j have broadcast, but it is an ever-

present concern.

Towards the end of the afternoon, I

start to think about the evening

bulletins. Most days, Today At Five

will look for a report, which may be

recorded in advance for broadcast on

Radio 1 between 5pm and 6pm. The

6.30 radio bulletin generally looks for

longer pieces than the News At One,

so I file a new audio package from my

office. I may do an updated voiceover

and piece to camera for the 6.01 TV

news. That piece will usually stand

for the nine o'clock television news.

| Exceptionally, it may need to be

re-edited.

On a quiet day, I try to get away from

the office between 4.30 and 6.30 for

lectures at the King's Inns.

Afterwards, I return to the office to

tidy up, answer correspondence, do

my filing and prepare for the next

day's work.

But, not infrequently, cases linger on

beyond four o'clock. (In one case last

year, at five past four on a Friday

afternoon, a bored judge thoughtfully

told senior counsel: "Let's leave it

until Monday. Mr Wood has lectures

to go to!")

In the past, juries in criminal cases

could stay out until the early hours of

the morning. But, following the trial

of Private

Sean Courtney,

where we

were still filming after 2am, juries

are now generally sent to hotels

around 8pm.

The work of a legal affairs

correspondent is invariably

interesting, occasionally tedious,

infrequently dangerous, often

wearing, but always varied. I shall

miss it.

*Kieron Wood has been Legal Affairs

Correspondent of RTE since 1990.

He has just completed his final

Bar exams.

International

Association of Young

Lawyers (AIJA)

ANNUAL CONFERENCE

WASHINGTON

14-18 AUGUST 1995

The annual AIJA conference takes

place this year in Washington D.C..

Typically AIJA conferences attract

approximately 600 participants

consisting of lawyers from about 50

! countries representing major firms

and sole practices. Among this

year's subjects (conducted in

English or French with

Í simultaneous translation) are:

• Litigating against the State

• Family Law Mediation

• Options available to Foreign

Bidders in Public Procurement

• How Brussels Works and How to

Make it Work for You

! • Arbitration of Intellectual

Property Rights

• AIDS and the Law

• SATT Franchising and

Distribution

In addition to a full work

programme, the conference

organisers have arranged an

! extensive social programme,

including receptions, visits to the

Smithsonian Institute and hospitality

at the home of a local lawyer.

The conference is centred at the

Mayflower Hotel and seminars and

meetings take place in Georgetown

University Law Centre. Cost to

include attendance at all seminars,

social events, receptions and dinner

each night (Monday through

Friday) is US$799, with a lower

price for members under 30.

For further information or a

brochure, contact Petria

McDonnell, McCann FitzGerald,

Tel: 0 1 - 8 2 9 0000. Brochures are .

also available from the Law Society

! desk at the Four Courts.

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