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Jackson, James R. C. Green, George A. Nolan,
Desmond Moran, Gerard M. Doyle, John Car-
rigan, Thomas A. O'Reilly, Francis J. Lanigan,
Bruce St. J. Blake, Joseph P. Black, Peter E.
O'Connell, D. J. O'Gonnor, Gerald Y. Goldberg,
Brcndan A. McGrath, John Maher, Patrick C.
Moore, Richard Knight, William A. Osborne,
Thomas H. Bacon, Augustus Gullen, Eunan Mc-
Carron, George G. Overend.
The following was among business transacted :
Compensation Fund
The Council passed a
resolution
fixing
the
statutory contribution at £30 for
the practice
year 1967/68.
Medical Witnesses Expenses
The Council heard a report from the Secretary
of his meeting with the Secretary of the Irish
Medical Association and considered a list of sug
gested fees prepared for the I.M.A. It was de
cided
that
the Secretary should write
to
the
I.M.A. stating that the question of medical wit
nesses expenses
is a matter for the Association
and the Superior Courts Rules Committee and
that the Association should take the matter up
with that Committee.
Committee on Court Practice and Procedure
The Council considered correspondence received
from the committee dealing with Sittings, Vaca
tions and Associate matters together with a report
received
from
the Southern Law Association.
Further consideration was postponed to await a
reply from the Dublin Solicitors' Bar Association.
THOUGHTS ABOUT AN OFFICE SYSTEM
The following suggestions for a modern office
system are not put forward as comprehensive or
even as
the best suggestions. Furthermore any
system must be adapted to the size and other
circumstances of each practice. Members are in
vited to criticise these proposals and to send in
their general comments for publication.
1.
Filing systems are various and everyone has
his own particular ideas or prejudices about them.
Furthermore most individuals are either unable
or unwilling to change a system already in opera
tion. The main thing is to have a system and to
operate it to the limit of its efficient use. For
those who are about to install a filing system, or
who find it possible to change a system already in
operation, it is suggested that reference numbers
combined with a card index will be found to be
the simplest and most efficient. The main ad
vantage of a card index over a book index is
its flexibility.
2.
Each new case that justifies opening a file
should be given a new number. File numbers
should be
in consecutive series. Two
identical
cards should be prepared for each case and two
card index boxes should be provided. Each card
shows the name of the client, title of case, name
of operator and case reference number. The cards
are stacked numerically in one box and alpha
betically in the other, so that the reference num
bers of a particular client's files can be traced
from the alphabetical box and the name of the
client in a matter of which the file number is
known can be traced from the numerical box.
The relevant files are kept in strict numerical
order in the filing room or space. As all
the
cards of each client are stacked together in the
alphabetical box the operator knows all the cases
in hands for that client at any given time. This
is better than keeping all the files together because
individual files, unlike individual cards, grow and
cards are easily handled. The place of each file
in the filing system is ascertainable immediately
from its number on the card.
SPECIMEN CARD
Client:
John Doe
File No. 1002
200 N.C. Road, Cork.
John Doe v Richard Roe.
File opened:
3/2/66
Person
in charge of Case:
Mr. Jones
If desired, details of the progress of a case may
be recorded in its card. This however is merely
incidental, the purpose of the card index being
to identify and locate all files and papers in the
office.
3. An instruction should be given and
enforced
that every letter or document relating to a case
should bear the file number, date and initials of
the persons dictating or preparing it. This ap
plies
to attendance dockets, and memos of all
kinds. Such documents should also bear the title
of the case as a double check against misfiling.
4. The initials or name of the person in charge
of a case should be stated on both cards. It is
his duty to keep the case moving.
5.
Someone should examine the system regu
larly to ascertain the progress been made in each
case and find out the reason if satisfactory pro
gress
is not being made. This is primarily the
duty of a principal or partner. The live card
index shows all uncompleted cases in the office.
6. When a case is finished the costs and outlay
should be prepared and when paid the "dead"
cards should be transferred to a filing box for