The Gazette 1964/67

Fewer solicitors "Show me any other body of men in the country who, with rising overheads and staff on whom they now have to pay Selective Employment Tax, have not been allowed to increase some of their charges for 11 years." Referring to complaints of delay in the despatch of clients' business, Lord Gardiner said : "The fact is that there are simply not enough solicitors to go round. "There are 30 jobs waiting for every newly- qualified solicitor to choose from, and the Law Society, after a careful survey, concludes that we are about 5,000 solicitors short." Mr. Charles Hilary Scott, President of the Law Society, said yesterday that the conclusion about a shortage of solicitors was the result of a survey carried out two or three years ago. This represented roughly 25 per cent but the shortage was greater in some areas than others. "There is a drift to London. The younger men feel they must come and you get the shortage in the smaller localities. If one solicitor dies, or retires, the gap is felt. "In private practice, it is indisputable that many firms complain that they cannot get com petent young men to join them." He wholeheartedly supported Lord Gardiner's remarks on charges. Some firms find it hard to make enough money to go round because the charges were so low, and they could not "stand" another partner. Complaints about delays in solicitors' offices were sometimes justified, but not always. Some times the delays were caused by difficulty in getting necessary facts and figures. — The Daily Telegraph, 17th October, 1966. POINT OF PRACTICE — MINOR MATTERS Solicitors when making applications for pay ment of Minors' monies out of Court should seek in addition to the professional fee, the sum in curred in outlay as the present position is not entirely satisfactory. In one case reported to the Society where payment of the sum of £15 each to two minors was sought out of monies standing to their credit, instructions were received by a solicitor. Two certificates of funds were bespoken and arrangements were made for the next friend to attend Court when application was made for payment out. As the Master was not anxious to disturb the corpus of the amounts to the credit of the minors and there was some cash available, he ordered payment of the sum of £11-4-0. approx imately in each case and allowed a sum of £1-1-0. Costs in each of the applications.

The position from the point of view of the solicitor resulted as follows :— £ s. d. £ s. d. Amount of Costs re ceived by Solicitor ... 220 Paid Court Fee 2 Certi ficates of Funds ...... 10 0 Fee on Master's Order 1 0 0 Fee for two directions to pay monies ............... 10 6 2 0 6 Balance on Hands : £- 1 6 SOLICITOR'S REMUNERATION IN LEGAL AID MATTERS A member of the Society whose name is in cluded in the Panel under the Criminal Justice (Legal Aid) Act, 1962 has reported the follow ing experiences :— (i) In October, 1965 the solicitor received word by telephone (which was confirmed later by notice in writing) that a man has been charged with : (a) obtaining a sum of £10-0-0 by false pretences; (b) obtaining a sum of £6-2-0 by false pretences; (c) obtaining a sum of £10-0-0 by false pretences; (d) obtaining a sum of £7-15-4 by false pretences; (e) receiving certain goods to the value of £45-0-0 by false pretences; (f) receiving a sum of £314-0-0 by means of a forged cheque; by uttering same with intent to defraud and obtaining a sum of £285-0-0 therefrom. The solicitor inspected the charge sheets and took particulars thereof. The defendant was in custody and the solicitor wrote to the Governor of the prison and told him to ac quaint the defendant of the solicitor's ap pointment. The solicitor attended Court where he interviewed the defendant for 1£ hours before the hearing, which was ad journed, no evidence being taken and the de fendant was remanded in custody. As a result of the defendant's instructions the solicitor wrote to certain English solicitors concerning funds which the client alleged he

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