The Gazette 1988

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 1 9 88

GAZETTE

From the President

T H E S O L I C I T O R S ' B E N E V O L E NT A S S O C I A T I ON

Everything must change . . . including this Profession

It seems to me that there are t wo areas in wh i ch not only must we change but in wh i ch we must be seen to change. The first of these is the image of the profession in the eyes of the public, and the second is the improvement of the service wh i ch we must give to our clients (to wh i ch I will return later). It is a curious fact that, whereas the individual solicitor is seen in a favourable light by his client, (as has been shown in our surveys), the profession as a whole is seen in an unfavourable light in the eyes of the public. The mo s t usual areas of dissatisfaction can be expressed as follows: — " I t costs too much ." " I t takes too long." The client rarely appreciates the c omp l e x i ty of a pa r t i c u l ar transaction, or the delay which can o c c ur t h r o u gh c i r c ums t a n c es outside a solicitor's control. Quite clearly, the profession has failed to communicate w i th our clients in these matters, and that is a very serious fault. I see t wo questions w h i c h s hou ld be asked and answered at every initial interview: (1) " H ow much is it going to c o s t ?" (2) " H ow long will it take?" The response of the solicitor to these t wo questions means that the client is going away from the initial interview informed on these t wo important matters. Quite apart from this, there must also be a major campaign to give the public information on what a solicitor does and the services we offer to the public. Clearly, the Law Society must give a lead in this matter. Howeve r, in t he c o n s umer society in wh i ch we now live, the public must realize, through us, that any complaints wh i ch they may have are being dealt w i t h in a fair and efficient manner. The public tends to view solicitors dealing w i t h so l i c i t o r s' ma t t e rs w i t h suspicion, and the Law Society has a l r eady s u g g e s t ed to t he

A CASE IN

NEED

Mrs. "X" is in her late 40% she is the widow of a Solicitor, has five children under 21. Her only income is a widow% pension and family allowance. She has to provide for her family and maintain a home. She faces this enormous responsibility alone. Who can she turn to for help? — The Solicitors' Benevolent Fund.

Government that it welcomes lay representation on some of our com- mittees, more particularly the Disciplinary Committee. It may even be necessary to appoint someone, like a lay ombudsman in legal affairs, to wh om the public could have easy access, as a further means of increasing public confidence in our profession. As I said at the outset, all this means change. We must accept the challenge wh i ch it brings and find the correct answers. Your Council will be considering such matters in the course of the year. It is vitally important, in the future interests of the public and the profession that you, the members, contribute to the debate. Accordingly, I invite you the members to write to me. This is again an exercise in dialogue and communication wh i ch I am more than anxious to improve during my year of office. • Thomas D. Shaw President

The Solicitors' Benevolent Association assists such cases - and many others where the age of dependants of members of the profession ranges from "under 10" to "over eighty". The Committee of the Association meets monthly and its work covers the entire country, north and south. The Committee funds come from annual subscriptions from members of the Law Society of Northern Ireland and The Incorpor- ated Law Society of Ireland, together with additional subscriptions received from Bar Associations, and individual Solicitors or firms of Solicitors. In recent years the calls on the Association's resources have become more numerous and this year the Committee faces a relatively large deficit. It urgently needs extra funds. Subscriptions can be sent to the Secretary, Ms Clare Leonard, The Solicitors' Benevolent Association, 40 Lr. Fitzwilliam Square, Dublin 2, or c/o The Law Society, Blackhall Place, Dublin 7.

THE S IMON COMMUN I TY helps the homeless in Dublin, Cork, Dundalk and Galway. Services provided include soup-run, shelter, visiting, and residential homes. You can help by giving a donation, supporting our shops (we take clothes, shoes, household items, books), or by becoming a volunteer. Further details are available from:- SIMON COMMUNITY (NATIONAL OFFICE) P.O. BOX 1022 DUBLIN 1 Phone: 711606

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