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PACKAGE DIVORCE SERVICE
A member of the Society has received an unsoli
cited communication from an overseas firm of law
yers, indicating the type of service available for
clients seeking quick divorce. Part of the letter
reads as follows :
"The
service
that we
offer
starts when
we meet your customers upon their arrival at the
X airport, or in their lodging places; bring them
over to Y, secure their lodging in tlv.s city; also,
to appear before Court in order to expedite their
matters. They will be returned to their lodging
places. This service will be rendered in special
automobiles driven by
reliable and responsible
chauffeurs, whose background is very well investi
gated by the local Authorities. They will be ready
to assist you at your entire satisfaction; that is, in
regard
to any additional
information without
extra charge to you; nor to your clientele."
.
.
.
"If our offer failed, to suit you in any respect,
we would be very glad to have you inform us in
order that we may, improve our fees so as to be
more acceptable.''
COUNTY OF TIPPERARY AND OFFALY
(BIRR DIVISION) SESSIONAL BAR
ASSOCIATION
At
the half yearly General Meeting of
the
Tipperary and Offaly
(Birr Division) Sessional
Bar Association held on November 17th, -1965 the
following
two
resolutions were proposed and
passed :
1. With a view to restricting as far as possible
claims against the Compensation Fund, the Law
Society shall require all solicitors to furnish an
accountant's certificate as envisaged by Section 31
of the Solicitors' Act, 1960 with their application
for a practising certificate.
2. With a view to restricting as far as possible
claims against the Compensation Fund, the Law
Society shall employ auditors
to examine
the
accounts of solicitors from time to time.
The Honorary Secretary of the Association was
instructed to bring these resolutions to the im
mediate attention of the Law Society, so
that
action might be taken without delay.
The Officers and Committee of the Association
for the year 1965-66 are :
President, Patrick F.
C)'Connor, Roscrea; Honorary Secretary, John
Carrigan, Thurles; Honorary Treasurer :
Martin
T. Butler, Thurles; Committee, Michael C. Black,
Henry F. Hayes, Michael O'Meara, Patrick F.
Treacy, John J. Nash, Donal Binchy, Francis
Murphy, Kevin Nugent, Robert Frewen, T. J.
O'Reilly, N. J. O'Donnell, R. D. Kennedy and
Patrick J. McCormack.
DUBLIN SOLICITORS' BAR ASSOCIATION
At the Annual General Meeting of the above
association held on 25th October, 1965 the follow
ing Officers and Council members were elected:
President, Ernest J. Margetson; Vice-President,
Eamonn O. Sheil; Honorary Treasurer: Patrick
P. MacMahon; Honorary Secretary, Gordon A.
Henderson; Honorary Auditors, P. Glynn and E.
Crowley; Council members, Messrs R. Knight, E.
Byrne, G. A. Williams, M. Kenny, V. Wolfe, G.
Doyle, A. O hUadaigh, Miss T. King and Mr. P.
Golden.
CASES OF THE MONTH
Solicitor: Disciplinary Committee
On the 2nd September, 1965 the Disciplinary
Committee of
the Law Society
found
that a
solicitor, aged seventy-three, had :
(1) failed
to
comply with the Solicitors' Accounts Rules;
(2)
failed to comply with the Solicitors' Act, 1957 and
the Accountant's Certificates Rules, 1946-56,
in
that the accounting periods delivered by him on
12th July, 1962, and 24th September, 1964, ter
minated more than six months before the date of
delivery of such respective certificates; and
(3)
had been guilty of conduct unbeffitting a solicitor
in that he had :
(a) -utilised for the purposes of
certain clients, money held and received on behalf
of other clients; (b) utilised for his own purposes,
money held and received by him on behalf of
other clients; (c) made, for the purpose of ob
taining practising certificates, declarations which
he knew, or ought to have known, to be untrue.
The committee accepted that here had been no
suggestion that he had been guilty of any dis
honesty and stated that the breaches of Solicitors"
Accounts Rules and his conduct in using clients'
money for wrongful purposes could both, in the
circumstances of the particular case, be regarded
as primary technical offences but were, however,
indicative of his unbusinesslike methods. The
committee having referred to the fact that twenty-
three years ago, on 7th April, 1942, the Discip
linary Committee had found him guilty of a
number of breaches against the Solicitors' Ac
counts Rules and suspended him from practice for
three years, ordered that his name be struck off
the roll of solicitors of the Supreme Court. The
solicitor appealed and the court received fresh
evidence in the form of three witnesses.