The Gazette 1964/67

As from the 1st October 1966 the amount of the costs of the varying proceedings in the District Court will be increased by the amount of the increase in the summons servers fees. SOLICITORS' ACCOUNTS (AMENDMENT) REGULATIONS, 1966 Members please note that these Regulations were required as a result of the passing of the National Bank Transfer Act, 1966, and the statu tory substitution of the National Bank of Ireland Limited for the National Bank Limited as one of the associated branches of the Central Bank Act, 1942. The Statutory Instrument (No. 75 of 1966) is available from the Government Publications Sales Office, G.P.O. Arcade, Dublin, or through any bookseller. 1. (1) These regulations may be cited as the Solicitors' Accounts (Amendment No. 2) Regu lations 1966 and shall be read together with the Solicitors' Accounts Regulations 1955 (S.I. No. 218 of 1955), the Solicitors' Accounts Regulations 1956 (S.I. No. 308 of 1956), the Solicitors' Ac counts (Amendment) Regulations 1958 (S.I. No. 193 of 1958), the Solicitors' Accounts (Amend ment) Regulations 1961 (S.I. No. 51 of 1961), the Solicitors' Accounts (Amendment) Regulations 1965 (S.I. No. 163 of 1965), and the Solicitors' Accounts (Amendment) Regulations 1966 (S.I. No. 75 of 1966), which may be cited collectively with these regulations as the Solicitors' Accounts Regulations 1955 to 1966. (2) In these regulations unless the context otherwise requires : "accountant's certificate" has the meaning given to it by paragraph 2 (2) of these regulations; "accounting period" means the period of one year ending on the balancing date; "balancing date" means the date in each year on which a solicitor's books are balanced and which is notified to the society pursuant to para graph 2 (1) of these regulations. (3) The Interpretation Act, 1937, applies to these regulations in the same manner as it applies to an Act of the Oireachtas except in so far as it may be inconsistent with the Solicitors Acts 1954 and 1960 or with these regulations. (4) These regulations shall come into operation SOLICITORS' ACCOUNTS (AMENDMENT No. 2) REGULATIONS 1966 S.I. No. 193 of 1966

on the 10th day of February 1967. 2. (1) Every solicitor to whom these regulations apply shall balance his books at least once in each practice year. The balancing date (or, where the books are balanced more than once in each year, one of such balancing dates) shall be a fixed date in each practice year and the solicitor shall, within three months from the date on which these regu lations apply to him, notify the society of such date. The balancing date shall also be stated in the annual declaration made by a solicitor for the purpose of obtaining a practising certificate. (2) Every solicitor to whom these regulations apply shall deliver to the society within six months of the balancing date in each practice year, or within such further period as the society may per mit, a certificate by an accountant (in these regulations referred to as an accountant's certi ficate) in either Form A or Form B in the schedule hereto, or in such other form as may be approved by the society, in respect of the accounting period. 3. In order to enable him to issue an accoun tant's certificate in Form A in respect of a solicitor an accountant shall not normally be required to do more than : (a) make a general test examination of the books of account of the solicitor; (b) satisfy himself that a client account, and where appropriate, a trust bank account, is kept; (c) make a general test examination of the bank pass books, bank statements and deposit receipts kept in relation to the practice; (d) make a comparison, as of not fewer than two dates not less than three months apart, in the period covered by the accountant's certificate and selected by the accountant, between the liabilities of the solicitor to his clients as shown by the books of account and the balance, stand ing to the credit of the client account and where appropriate, the trust bank account and satisfy himself that such balance or balances are not less than the total of the sums required to be kept on client account or trust bank account in accordance with the Solicitors' Ac count Regulations in operation for the time being; (e) obtain such information and explanations as he may require arising out of such examination. 4. In order to enable him to issue an accoun tant's certificate in Form B an accountant shall make such audit, inquiry and investigation of the books, accounts and documents of the solicitor or his firm as will enable him to issue the certificate. 5. An accountant's certificate shall not be re quired in the case of: 43