The Gazette 1958-61

there is every reason for the public to have complete confidence in the integrity of our members and to know exactly what work we solicitors are com petent to perform for them. It is of great importance that so far as possible every client should be a satisfied client, and in order to attain this it is essential that the client should understand and appreciate what is being done for him and why it is being done. With this in view the Policy Com mittee are actively considering various suggestions and taking advice on their legal implications before communicating them to our members. The Council are well aware that many Solicitors, particularly in the country, are gravely incon venienced by serious delays in getting their bills of costs drawn and much thought is being given to the best way of overcoming this difficulty. I know that there is widespread anxiety in the profession arising from the delay in proceeding with the Solicitors' Amendment Bill. We have been in consultation with the Government, and I would like to acknowledge the courteous and helpful way in which the Minister of Justice, the Attorney General and Mr. Coyne, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Justice, received our representa tives and listened to our views on the amendments to the Bill which would be necessary to make it workable and yet to keep its provisions within the framework of the Constitution. It is clearly of great importance not merely in the interests of the profession but even more so in the interests of the general public that adequate powers to regulate the profession should be provided, and it is our earnest hope that the Government will proceed with the Bill at the earliest possible date. It is only right that every Solicitor should understand that as a result of some serious defalcations by a small number of solicitors in the last few years during a period while the Disciplinary Committee have been unable to function, the Compensation Fund is now in a serious financial position and it is certain that power will have to be obtained to increase considerably the contributions payable by solicitors if the Fund is to be made sufficient to compensate all claimants in accordance with the provisions of the Solicitors' Act, 1954. These provisions in relation to the Compensation Fund are quite intolerable, and most unfair to the members of our profession, unless we are given adequate powers to check defalcations at an early stage and to safeguard the Compensation Fund from unnecessary loss. The profession only agreed to the provision in the 1954 Act to pay compensation in full on the clear understanding that the Incorporated Law Society would have full powers to regulate and control its own members. I think that every Solicitor whatever may be his

political affiliations should in his own interests and in the interest of his Profession, use all his influence with his local T.D.'s and Senators to see that the Solicitors' Amendment Bill is passed into law as quickly as possible, and in the form approved of by the Council, who have devoted to it much hard work and detailed consideration, and in this con nection I would like to record my gratitude for the great assistance which has been given by all the members of the Council and in particular by the Vice-Presidents and by Mr. Arthur Cox and Mr. George Overend, who have devoted much time and care to the suggested amendment to the Bill, and finally, but by no means least, our Secretary, who has minutely examined every word in the Draft Bill and who has made numerous suggestions for its improvement. The Council have been very much concerned about the costs payable in Land Commission matters where there has been no adequate increase and the Costs are still very little more than they were 3 5 years ago. This is obviously quite ridiculous having regard to the change in the value of money during that period. The position has now arisen owing to the failure of the Land Commission to agree to any adequate increase, that there is often no profit whatever for Solicitors in Land Commission business. The completely inadequate costs are in many cases payable to the solicitor in depreciated Land Bonds while he has to pay counsel's fees and all other outlay in cash and the net result can some times be an actual financial loss to the solicitor. Numerous representations have been made to the Land Commission but without achieving anything. I would, however, like to acknowledge the sym pathetic consideration, help and advice which we have received from Mr. Justice Teevan in our endeavours to have this injustice rectified. I am glad to be able to report that the Minister of Finance has acceded to the representations made to him on behalf of this Society and other pro fessional bodies that income tax relief should be granted to contributions by self-employed persons to pension annuity funds. The Council have carefully considered the possibility of setting up a group insurance scheme for solicitors and engaged the services of brokers to explore the market to ascertain if more favourable terms could be obtained in this way for solicitors than by individual in surance, but so far the result has been negative, since taking into account the ten per cent, com mission which Irish Insurance Companies are prepared to allow to solicitors on individual in surance policies there would be no financial advan tage in a group scheme and consequently it is in the interests of individual solicitors to take out