The Gazette 1988

GAZETTE

JULY/AUGUST 1988

before and on wh i ch he or she requires particular advice. The Members of the Committee under the Chairmanship of Paddy Glynn from Leahy & O'Sullivan in Limerick come from various parts of the country and from large and small practices and, therefore, are in very close contact on a day to day basis w i th the problems which assail the profession. The Committee will attempt for the future to continue to be that essential "safety valve" referred to above and members of the pro- fession are earnestly requested to avail of its services at the time that problems actually arise rather than having them resort to a fire brigade action when it is too late. They urge mo st p a r t i c u l a r ly upon members that the courts should only be used in disputes between them as a last resort, when all other avenues have been explored. Th is is p a r t i c u l a r ly so in circumstances where acrimony attends a partnership dissolution. At a recent meeting the Committee decided to review the question of a recommended minimum salary for newly qualified solicitors. In keeping w i th the Commi t t ee 's c on c e rn for d e v e l o pme n ts in London and abroad the Chairman was happy to report that following on the meeting in Kinsale of the joint legal education committees of the jurisdictions in these islands p o s i t i ve p r og r ess was made t owa r ds minimising the require- ments for qualification as solicitors in the UK. It is hoped that this year's Soccer Blitz will take place on Saturday, 3 September, 1988 at the Law Society, Blackhall Place and we wou ld be delighted for any support you can give in organising this annual event. Justin McKenna, Chairman. Yo u n g er Memb e r s C omm i t t ee Reg i s t r a r 's C omm i t t ee Introduction The Registrar's Comm i t t ee in response to a request from the President has decided to publish in this and future editions of the Gazette items wh i ch may be of

interest to you, the members of the profession. Despite the views expressed by some s o l i c i t o r s, we at t he Reg i s t r a rs C omm i t t e e, wh i le endeavouring to deal w i th genuine complaints made by the public, strive to assist you, our colleagues. I speak for my entire Committee when I say that we are available to give assistance, guidance and direction to any solicitor who may feel he has a problem. Please do contact us either personally or through the Society. Pat O'Connor. The Committee Mr. Pat O'Connor, Chairman of the Committee, practises in the family firm of P. O'Connor & Son at Swinford, Co. Mayo. He qualified in 1974. Vice Chairman of the Com- mittee, Mr. Edward McEllin, is the principal in the family firm of Pa t r i ck J. McE l l in & Son, Courthouse Road, Claremorris, Co. Mayo. He qualified in 1977. Ms. Barbara Dowling, Secretary to the Committee, deals w i th queries and complaints from the pub l ic and memb e rs of t he profession. Ms. Dowling qualified in 1982 and wo r ked in private practice before joining the Society in 1985. Ms. Catherine Brennan deals w i th queries and complaints from the public and members of the profession. Ms. Brennan qualified in 1983 and worked in private practice before joining the Society in 1987. What happens when a complaint is received by the society The Complaints Section of the Society receives approximately 10 initial letters of complaint per day from both members of the public and the profession. Any letter wh i ch on the face of it discloses a complaint against a solicitor is immediately f o rwa r ded to that solicitor w i th a request that he furnish a report to the Society in t he ma t t e r, w i t h i n 10 day s. Specific questions arising from the complainants letter are highlighted for reply by t he so l i c i t o r. A standard letter of acknowledge- ment is sent to the complainant. The Soc i e ty endeavou rs to identify as soon as possible the

a. A booklet on the Adminis- tration of Estates; b. A Guide to Professional Re- muneration; c. A Code of Conduct for the profession. In recent years the Committee has prosecuted unqualified persons who pose as solicitors or attempt to act as solicitors. The Committee has also been instrumental in preventing builders from making exclusive arrangements requiring clients of the builder to use the builder's solicitors in return for " f r ee legal services", and has also dealt w i th a problem where certain Bu i l d i ng So c i e ty Ma n a g e rs appeared to be diverting business to solicitors of their choice. It has been effective in curtailing the activies of the so called " acc i dent claims consultants" by maintaining regular con t act w i t h Hospital Admi n i s t r a t o rs to prevent the advertising of these organisations on hospital bulletin boards, and supporting legal action in cases where these organisations have been demonstrably negligent. The Committee has recently c o n c l u d ed n e g o t i a t i o ns w i t h A c c e ss and Visa to enab le members to avail of credit card facilities for payment of their costs. Correspondence from Members The Committee is always happy to r ece i ve c o r r e s p o n d e n ce f r om members of the profession about any subject wh i ch concerns t hem in their daily professional life whether that be one of the many items referred to above or some unu s ual s i t u a t i on w h i ch a practitioner has not encountered

Paddy Glynn, Chairman, Prof- essional Purposes Committee.

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