The Gazette 1952-1955

why it should not be adopted with equal facility and without any unusual risk in regard to documents such as grants of probate and administration. Legal Aid T he Secretary read a letter from the Attorney General notifying the Society o f the following changes in the scale of fees allowed to counsel and solicitor assigned to defend persons accused of murder. The scale in operation immediately prior to the increase is shown in brackets. Senior Counsel—£ 2 1 plus refreshers per day— £ 10 10s. od. (£9 9s. od. plus per day £6 6s. od.). Junior Counsel—£ 14 14s. od. plus refreshers per day— £1 7s. od. (£6 6s. od. plus per day £4 4s. od.). A City Solicitor —£10 10s. od plus per day £3 3s. od (£4 4s. od. plus per day £3 3s. od.). A Country Solicitor—£ 14 14s. od. plus per day £4 4s. od. (£6 6s. od. plus per day £3 3s. od.). A country solicitor is also entitled to travelling and subsistence allowance on the same scale as the allowances given to higher Civil Servants. ORDINARY GENERAL MEETING OF THE SOCIETY A G eneral Meeting o f the Society was held in the Society’s Library on Thursday, 14th May, 1953. The President, Mr. James R. Quirke, took the Chair. The following members o f the Society signed their names as being present :—John Carrigan, Vice-President; James J. O’Connor, Vice-President; Henry St. J. Blake, Patrick R. Boyd, Desmond J. Collins, Arthur Cox, Cornelius M. J. Daly, Niall S. Gaffney, Francis J. Gearty, John R. Halpin, Francis J. Lanigan, John Maher, Desmond J. Mayne, John J. Nash, William J. Norman, Peter E. O’Connell, Senator Patrick F. O’Reilly, Thomas A. O’Reilly, Sean 6 hUadhaigh, George G. Overend, Dermot P. Shaw, John J. Sheil, Joseph P. Tyrrell, Ralph J. Walker, Derrick M. Martin, Barry M. O’Meara, Edmund Hayes, D. R. Pigot, Reuben J. Dodd, T. J. Kirwan, H. Tarlo, J. P. King, R. W. R. Johnston, F. F. Callanan, A . G. Quirke, R. J. Tierney, Ivan Howe, T. Desmond McLoughlin. The notice convening the meeting was-, by per­ mission of the meeting, taken as read. The Minutes o f the Ordinary. General Meeting, held on 20th November, 1932, were read, confirmed and signed by the Chairman. The Chairman announced that he nominated the following members of the Society to act as Scru­ tineers of the Ballot for the election o f the Council, to be held on 19th November, 1953 John R. McC. Blakeney, James R. Green, Thomas Jackson, Brendan P. McCormack, Roderick J. Tierney. 2

It was ordered that a copy of the whole resolution should be sent to the President of the High Court and that a copy of paragraphs x and 2 should be sent to the Minister for Justice. M ay 14th, 1953. The President in the Chair- Also present: Messrs. John Carrigan and James J. O’Connor, Vice-Presidents ; Desmond J. Mayne, William J. Norman, Barry M. O’Meara, Cornelius J. Daly, Joseph P. Tyrrell, Peter E. O’Connell, Edmund Hayes, John Maher, Thomas A. O’Reilly, Sean 0 hUadhaigh, Francis J. Gearty, Henry St. J. Blake, Arthur Cox, Patrick R. Boyd, Niall S. Gaffney, Desmond J. Collins, John J. Sheil, Dermot P. Shaw, George G. Overend, Ralph J. Walker, Derrick M. Martin, Senator Patrick F. O’Reilly, John J. Nash. The following was among the business transacted : Probate Office T he Council considered a report from a Committee on representations received by the Society from members complaining of what was described as a new practice in the Probate Office of refusing to allow solicitors and their assistants to inspect the grants awaiting collection and to take them up when ready. Solicitors and their assistants are now required to inspect the Index of Grants, and it is stated that this takes a considerable time, particularly in the case of a Dublin agent acting for a number o f country solicitors. The Council adopted a report from the Committee expressing the view that members of the public should not be allowed to have access to the grants owing to the danger of mistakes which might result in the documents going astray. The Committee were also of the opinion that the present practice of requiring solicitors awaiting grants to search in the Index to ascertain whether they are ready necessitates unnecessary calls to the office by solicitors’ clerks and causes deify and waste of time. The Secretary was directed to write to the Probate Officer and to the Department of Justice suggesting—(1) that grants of Probate and administration should be numbered in serial order; (2) that a postcard should be sent out from the Probate Office to the solicitor whose name appears on the application for the grant, notifying him when the grant is ready. The postcard should bear the serial number of the grant and when handed back in exchange for the original document would operate as a receipt therefor; (3) the Minister and the Probate Officer should also be requested to consider the feasibility of sending grants, when ready, by post to the solicitor for the applicant. This p actice is at present in force in the Land Registry in regard to original Land Certificates and the Council could not, prima fa cie , see any reason