The Gazette 1914-15

The Gazette of the Incorporated Law Society of Ireland.

[DECEMBER, 1914

58

it would be well if in the meantime the opinion of our branch of the Profession generally could be ascertained, and, if possible, formulated on this question of amalgamation and other important questions of a kindred nature. Turning to our more, immediate domestic concerns, I would like to call attention to the Report of the Statutory Committee, which you will find on page 43 of the Council's Annual Report. Thirty-two applications were made to this Committee during the year, and in only one case did the Committee deem it necessary to report professional mis conduct to the Lord Chancellor, and I may point out that this is the only case where professional misconduct was reported out of some 70 cases investigated by the Committee during the last two years. I am sure you will agree that this is highly creditable to our Profession. Another satisfactory matter is the record of the Membership of the Society, which has been steadily increasing every year for the last seven or eight years. In the year 1908 we had 740 members out of 1,634 practising Solicitors, an average of a little over 45 per cent; last year the Society counted 884 members out of 1,587 Solicitors on the Roll—an average of about 56 per cent. It must be remembered, too, that the Northern Law Society and the Southern Law Association are affiliated to our Society, and have under the Charter direct representation on our Council. These two Societies have amongst their members an additional 160 Solicitors who are not members of the Law Society, so that out .of a total of 1,587 Solicitors 1,044 are represented by your Council—an average of about 66 per cent. Of course this is not as satisfactory as it might be, as we are all agreed that every practising Solicitor in Ireland should join the Law Society. Some think it should be compulsory on every Solicitor to join. But the gradual increase of membership is satisfactory, and it seems to be agreed in Ireland that it is better to get recruits by voluntary enlistment rather than by conscription.

Lieutenant to receive a deputation from the Council on the subject of the Irish Resident Magistracy. Our deputation was most courteously received by His Excellency and Sir Mathew Nathan, the new Under secretary, Sir James Dougherty also being present, on the 13th of November. We laid our grievance as fully as possible before His Excellency, who replied sympathetically, and promised that our representations would have careful consideration, and we must only trust that it will be so. I think the Council are agreed that this whole question of legal appointments will never be set right by mere protests, representations or deputations, but that the only adequate remedy is for the profession itself to acquire if possible some voice in the exercise of legal patronage in Ireland. So far as this patronage is exercised by the Government, legal offices appear to be bestowed in reward for political or personal services rendered, rather than for legal merit or fitness for office; and so far as it is exercised by the judicial authorities it is only human nature that first consideration should be given to members of the branch of the Profession from whose ranks those very judicial authorities must themselves be chosen. Some, I know, think the matter could be largely set right by The Amalgamation of the two Branches of the Legal Profession, which is personally my own view. There is, however, a great division of opinion amongst Solicitors on this subject, and the special Legal Reform Committee appointed some thirty years ago by this Society (their report is well worth studying) were almost unanimous in reporting against amalgama tion. But things have changed in Ireland since the date of that report, and it seems to me the necessity for two branches of the legal Profession in the circumstances which now obtain, gets smaller every year. Amalgama tion, too, would require legislation, and to carry the necessary legislation would be extremely difficult without the almost unanimous consent of both Professions even in more favourable Parliamentary times. It is not out of the region of probability that before long the reform of the whole legal system in Ireland will be taken in hand, and