The Gazette 1991

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 1991

GAZETTE

work quite different from that obtaining in the U.K., a high dependence on commercial work referred to Irish practitioners from non-Irish lawyers - none of these issues are addressed by this modest book, and so I wonder whether the reader who had done her or his groundwork will find this book insufficient. What this book really taught me is that there's room for a joint work between the Law Society and one of our marketing institutions, to be called something like "Marketing Legal Services from Ireland in 1991 and after." DR. DAVID TOMK IN

What is the relevance of this book to Irish practitioners? If you know precisely what your future market is and how you are going to increase your market share then this book will be a useful check list. If like so many of my friends and contemporaries in practice you are either not sure where your market lies nor have you enough time to take off from current demands of practice to find out where it lies you should perhaps consider reading this book. The real problem here lies in our local variables: a changing regu- latory framework for the profes- sions, an imminent single European market, a profile of commercial

courses on the "essential" list. The lawyer who, like myself, is con- stantly alarmed by the extent of his own ignorance, will find this book instructive in a refreshing and helpful way. DR. DAVID TOMK IN P A R T N E R S H I PS Peter J. Oliver and Nigel T. Davey Second Edition, Sweet & Maxwell, London 1990. " No doubt it will be a long time before lawyers are as deft at marketing as they are at litigation, or advocacy, but at least it is now recognised as an impo r t ant discipline". So writes Jeremy Stratton in an interesting article on the general strategies of marketing solicitors' practices in the New Law Journal of Friday, December 14th 1990. (Vol. 140 No. 6484 p. 1759-60). This being so, there is no shortage of U.K. and indeed Irish material which aims to induct the managing partner into some of the mysteries of catering for growth and control of a legal business: for example, were you at or did you get the conference papers from the half day conference "Big Bang in the Legal Profession" on Tuesday 20th November (sponsored by the Sunday Business Post and Wang (Ireland) Ltd.)? This book, The Business of Partnerships, is a modest account of the organisation of professional partnerships. It deals with matters such as the firms accounts, time recording, planning and budgeting, reporting results, capital, U.K. taxation aspects, the salaried partner, provision for retirement, mergers and splits, and attracting new work. The information pro- vided is really quite basic, but the book is well written and helpful as a starting point or indeed as a check list. Generally books written on practice management by those who make overt their connection w i t h a particular professional practice have something of a sub- text; if you really want to know the answers come and consult us professionally! This book refrains from suggesting that the sole route to profitability lies via Touche Ross and its management consultants. T H E B U S I N E SS OF

PRESIDENT APPOINTS NEW JUDGE OF THE HIGH COURT

i I

Mr. Justice Frederick Morris receiving his warrant of appointment as a Judge of the High Court from President Mary Robinson at Aras an Uachtarain on 20 December, 1990. Also included are Mr. Peter Ryan, Secretary to the President and Mr. John Murray S.G, Attorney General.

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