The Gazette 1988

SEPTEMBER 1988

GAZETTE

TAXAT ION CONSULTANCY SERVICE

4. Wh i le neither the Taxa t i on Committee nor the Law Society can accept responsibility for the advice given by the consultant the Committee will be monitor- ing the operation of the scheme and will be anxious to hear of any problems that arise and will endeavour to assist in solving t hem. 5. The consultant shall undertake that neither he nor any firm of wh i ch he is a member will accept instructions from the client in any matter save on a referral basis in the period of t w o years commenc i ng after the date of conclusion of the consultancy for such client.

Solicitors - how public are your private conversations? The problem ol private consultations being over- heard by those in waiting areas is quite a common one, particularly when the areas is close to the consulting room. Now there is an inexpensive elec- tronic solution to this problem that is easy to install and requires no structural alteration! With Sound- masking, conversations are kept private and con(ideniial-a benefit for both lawyers and their clients. - For further particulars contact: Soundmasking Ltd. 25, Harcourt St. Dublin 2. Tel: 780499/780037

Practitioners are reminded of the existence of the Co n s u l t a n cy Ser- v i ce in T a x a t i on Law and Practice. The service is intended to assist solicitors in dealing w i th particular taxation problems wh i ch a f f ect their clients. The principal areas covered are Capital Acquisitions Tax, Capital Gains Tax and Stamp Du t i e s. W i t h t he i n c r e a s i ng complexity of tax legislation, tax advice may be required in relation t o many aspects of the adminis- tration of estates and the transfer of properties whe t her voluntary or for value. Members are encouraged t o make use of the Consultancy Service in any situation in wh i ch they are uncertain about the tax implications of a client's proposed course of action. 1. The client shall remain the client of the referring solicitor unless there is some special arrange- ment to the contrary. The con- sultant will not, w i t hout the referring solicitor's consent, consult directly w i t h the client. 2. The referring solicitor will be personally responsible for the consultant's fee. 3. Both the consultant and the referring solicitor should ensure that the other is adequately insured against professional negligence. 4. The referring solicitor may charge the consultant's fee either as an item of outlay or absorb such fee and include an equivalent amount in his profes- sional charges to the client. Consultants 1. In response to a notice in the Gazette a number of members volunteered to act as con- sultants and a list or panel of t h o se c o n s u l t a n ts is n ow available at the Society. 2. Members of the panel may r e s t r i ct t he ir s e r v i c es t o particular fields of tax law and practice. 3. A member of the panel may decline to accept a referral in any case w i t hout specifying a reason for such refusal. Terms of the Consultency Service

The Farmer and The Law

ONE DAY SEMI NAR 15 t h October 1988 Venue: Law Society Blackhall Place.

LAW SOCIETY TIES

£6.00 each

Contact: Accoun ts Dept., Blackhall Place, Dublin 7. Further details:- Contact A. Geraghty or C. Mahon: 7 1 0 7 11 WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

The Society's Law School has recently completed a compre- hensive survey of all solicitors who were admitted to the Roll in the ten year period ending on the 31st December, 1987. The survey succeeded in tracing 94% of the 2,046 people who were enrolled during that period. The most striking result was that of the 81 % of those who were in private practice no less than one in every four were sole practitioners. Sixty-five solicitors were in the State or semi-State employment while forty-five were in industry or commerce and only nine were not working as solicitors. The survey destroyed the myth that there might be substantial numbers, particularly women solicitors, working on a part-time basis. There was a grand total of eight. Five per cent or 105 were identified as working abroad — 47 in the United Kingdom, 28 in the United States, 7 (!) in Hong Kong, 4 each in Australia and Belgium.

The f i gu r es for the UK are suspected to be understated since the newly formed Association of Irish solicitors in London has well over 50 members. Indeed, it is clear that the numbers in the UK are increasing steadily as recruitment by UK f i rms and p l acement agencies is stepped up and that the figure ascertained by the survey is already out of date. There are already signs that the exodus to London may be creating a scarcity of newly qualified solicitors in Dublin. London salaries could be matched by few, if any, Dublin practices. The survey does not suggest that there is any significant reservoir of under- employed or unemployed solicitors waiting to fill the gaps which are beginning to appear and the trend of solicitors going to London may be about to cause problems for the profession in Dublin and the rest of the country.

JFB

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