The Gazette 1952-1955

Smoke Room for Members T he Council adopted an estimate for the re­ decoration of the room on the ground floor o f the Solicitors’ Buildings, formerly used as a general office. When the room has been redecorated, it will be available as a smoke room for members, but it may at times be necessary to use it for consultations. Code o f professional etiquette T he Council considered a report from a Committee on a letter received from a Bar Association suggesting that the Society should prepare and issue to each Solicitor a code o f professional conduct. In their report, which was adopted by the Council, the Committee did not consider it practical at the present time to publish a code o f professional etiquette. The Council have not at present statutory power to deal with a number o f matters affecting professional conduct and practice. Powers are being sought in the Solicitors’ Bill to make regulations dealing with a number o f these matters. It was decided to consider publishing in the G azette lectures delivered by members o f the Council on the subject of the rights, duties, and responsibilities o f Solicitors. Sale o f Solicitor’s Practice. Liabilities o f Vendor. AB agreed to purchase the practice o f CD, who retired from practice. Differences arose between AB and CD about the purchase price. It was a term o f the contract that AB should receive the costs and discharge the liabilities o f the practice down to the date o f the contract. CD took over the office premises and property, but Continued, practising under his own name. When CD took over the practice, a sum o f £58 5s. n d . for costs was due to an English firm o f solicitors, who had been instructed by AB . CD subsequently instructed the same firm on fresh business and the costs due therefor were £44 15 s. 6d. The English solicitors held CD liable for the entire sum o f £93 is. 3d. on the ground that he took over the practice and that they were not concerned with the arrangements between AB and himself. CD admitted liability for the sum o f £44 15s. 6d. and asked the opinion o f the Council whether as a matter of professional etiquette, apart from the question of legal liability, he should pay the entire amount o f £93 is. 5d. or whether professional etiquette would be satisfied by payment o f the sum o f £44 15 s. 6d. being the costs due for the work in which he personally instructed the English solicitors. i: . 3 *

(/) that the minor adjustments in the Schedule of costs of a lease at a rack rent already made in the case of unregistered land should be applied to registered land. The deputation reported to the Council that there was a difference o f opinion on the Committee on the subject o f items (a) and ( b ). The principle of the remaining proposals had been favourably received, but no final decision had been reached. It was ordered that a further Memorandum on items (a) and ( b ) should be drawn up and submitted to the Committee. A copy o f the original memo­ randum submitted by the Society in support o f the application is printed in this issue o f the G azette ; Notepaper heading T he attention o f the Council, having been drawn to a case in which a solicitor was described on his notepaper heading as “ Agent for the X Insurance Company,” the Secretary was directed to write to him stating that the Council disapprove of this heading. Law Clerks’ Joint Labour Committee Messrs. Dermot P. Shaw, Mullingar, and Francis J. Lanigan, Carlow, were appointed as members of the Committee Law Club o f Ireland T he Secretary reported that he had received, through the President, an offer from Messrs Brown & Nolan Ltd. to present to the Society the panels of stained or coloured glass in the company’s premises in Nassau Street bearing the words “ Law Club of Ireland, 179 1.” The Law Club formerly occupied the entire o f these premises before moving to Suffolk Street, and the premises were subsequently occupied by Messrs. Hayes & Sons. It was ordered that the Secretary should write thanking Messrs. Brown & Nolan, and that arrangements should be made with the Company to have the glass removed and suitably placed in the-Solicitors’ Buildings. 6 th N ovember , 1952. The President in the Chair. Also present: Messrs. Desmond R. Counahan, Vice-President; James R. Quirke, John Maher, Ralph J. Walker, William J. Norman, Reginald J. Nolan, Patrick R. Boyd, George G. Overend, James J. O’Connor, Derrick M. Martin, John J. Sheil, John Carrigan, Sean C) hUadhaigh, John R. Halpin, Joseph Barrett, John B. McCann. The following was among the business trans­ acted :