The Gazette 1946-49

embarrassing for a Solicitor to refuse to meet them. Solicitors acting for other Insurance Companies have complained to me about this insidious practice. As they are acting for the Companies they cannot complain for obvious reasons. They do feel, however, that their fellow Solicitors are treating them badly in negotiating with Insurance Officials behind their backs. The lesson to be drawn from this matter is only too obvious. What will be one Solicitor's case to-day may be another's to-morrow and in cases such as this the Profession must stand together and refuse to negotiate behind the backs of Pro fessional brethren—no matter how innocently— whether acting for Insurance Companies or indeed any other organisation. LEX. nth May, 1948.

position to ensure that Judgment cannot be marked in default of Appearance or Defence. So far as negotiations for settlement are concerned they have been taken completely out of my hands and the representatives of the Companies concerned have no hesitation in approaching the Plaintiff's Solicitor direct in an endeavour to negotiate a settlement with him. Many Solicitors acting for Plaintiffs, including myself, quite unwittingly on a few occasions have tended to forget their obligations to the Solicitor on the other side, and have negotiated direct with the Insurance Official concerned, when, of course, their obvious duty was to refuse any such approaches once there was another Solicitor on record. This practice has been encouraged by the fact that many of the Insurance Officials concerned are on friendly terms with the Plaintiff's Solicitor, and it is often

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