The Gazette 1909-10

The Gazette of the Incorporated Law Society of Ireland.

[DECEMBER, 1909

56

was very properly raised over the costs in Labourers' cottage cases. The County Courts' Bill of a few years ago, but for the efforts of some gentlemen whom they happily had with them there to-day, would have very largely extended the right of audience in these Courts to the exclusion of Solicitors. Countless other reasons might be given to urge them as a body to take counsel forthwith with a view to preserving their rapidly-disappearing rights, but he (Mr. Brady) hoped that there was no necessity to further labour the argument with his hearers who, by the very fact of their being members of the Society, had given proof of their desire to help in the promotion of the pro fession's welfare. Such a state of things as he had outlined existed. There only remained for them to consider the remedy, and he (Mr. Brady) said, without fear of contradiction, that until some means was devised whereby every Solicitor was obliged to be a member of that Society, it was difficult to preserve their rights. That was not the place and it would be premature to discuss the question of compulsory member ship. The Council had promised to consider the matter and report to them, and no doubt they would go into it very carefully. Might he (Mr. Brady) point out for a moment how unfairly Solicitors were acting who refused to become members of that Society. They were reaping all the advantages of the Society without contributing to its resources. He was well aware that from time to time suggestions were made that the Law Society did very little for the profession. He held no Brief for the Council. It might be that they could do no more, but he thought that they did a great deal was amply evidenced by the report in their hands, and, at any rate, even if the contention was true that they did very little, they could do very much more if every Solicitor in Ireland was a member of the Society (hear, hear). As regarded the expense of membership, that could hardly be an insuperable difficulty: £1 and 10s., respectively, were not prohibitive amounts for any practitioner however junior ; but it seemed to him that if any effort was seriously made towards compulsion, that the financial aspect of the thing could be very much smoothed in a very simple manner. Compulsion, of course, would require an Act of

Parliament, and he (Mr. Brady) saw no reason why, if a Bill for the purpose were promoted, that a clause could not be inserted whereby the annual licence duty of Dublin and Country Solicitors would be reduced by £\ and 10s., respectively, and that the £1 and 10s., respectively, be allocated to the payment of the membership fee to the Society. In that way all Solicitors would have all the benefits of membership without having to pay any thing more than he at present paid, and in the case of Solicitors who were already members of the Society they would pay £\ and 10s. less. He thought that even His Majesty's Treasury, in the case of Ireland at any rate, could hardly object to that scheme. MR. QUAID said that of the 756 members of the Society 432 were Dublin members and 324 country members. It worked out in this way, that 1,600 members of the pro fession were practically governed by 432 Solicitors in Dublin. Now that was not right, and in order to inspire confidence it was necessary there should be some drastic change. The reason encroachments were made on their rights by the Local Govern ment Board was because they did not see a highly-organised professional class, not an active, vigorous remonstrance backed up by 1,600 Solicitors, but a pacific pronouncement of a Council that really represented 400. He would ask the Council to take serious notice of the system of tendering that was going on generally throughout the country. But what were they able to do when breaches of the rules came before them when they had 700 members of the profession outside the Society ? There was not the slightest use in passing resolutions unless they could follow them up as the British Medical Association did, who dealt with offences apparently the most trivial in a very drastic way. The Incorporated Law Society could revoke their first and second Charters, and could obtain another by applying to the Lord Lieutenant, and then the Council would have absolute power to bring in all members of the pro fession, which would be no loss to the Society. MR. FRY said he would not follow the other speakers in discussing matters that would be brought before the Council in due course, and would be considered by them and reported on in May next. But he wished to