The Gazette 1967/71

of the Society. Already we have had to rent outside premises for lectures for our students and within a very short time further office space would have to be secured. This would mean the dispersal of the Society's offices over a number of physically separated buildings which would be uneconomical, inefficent and inconvenient for the members. I feel therefore we were very fortunate to be able to acquire a building which is one of the most important architectural features of the city and one of great dignity of appearance and despite its age, having been built in the reign of Queen Ann, in excellent repair. Its position is extremely fortunate also being situated within a short distance of the Four Courts and on the projected new ring road for the city of Dublin. It is not surprising that the acquisition met with what appears to be the universal approval of our members. It will not be possible for us to get possession for two years because the present occupants have to provide for themselves a new school. This is not a disadvantage because extensive planning will have to be done to adapt and reorganise the inside of the premises to meet the special requirements of the Society. We will be able to house within this building not only all the present and projected activities of the Society but also to provide additional facilities for our members both of a professional and social nature. It is proposed that besides office and educational accommodation we will provide Club facili ties for our members with, if necessary residential space. A special committee has been set up to deal with these matters and they are already in consultation with architects and engineers, and are already at the stage of studying draft plans. I am sure we all look forward to the day when we will find ourselves in the building which will provide within its walls all our needs, organisational, educational, business and social and where at last our President will find a place to park his car. Public Relations and Information service For some time past there has been an increasing demand that the Society should set up some form of public relations service and the Council has, over the past two or three years, devoted a great deal of time to discussion of this matter. During these discussions a wide variety of opinions were very naturally expressed and it also became apparent that there was a wide variety of meanings attached to the term "Public Rela tions". There was on the other hand general agreement that public relations fell into two catagories. One is to promote amongst the members of the profession a proper concept of the importance of the practice of law in the functioning of a democratic society and to stimu late a unity of purpose in the promotion and discharge of this function. The second is to convey to the public the importance and value to them of the services which the profession has to offer and of which, the public are, in many cases completely unaware. The matter was finally referred to a committee who produced a report which you will find in Appendix C of the Annual Report. You will observe that the committee saw the matter in the same light and that internal public rela tions were of primary importance and if these were properly dealt with external public relations would flow automatically. The committee made three recommenda tions which you will find on page 44 and 45. They recommend first that the Society should appoint a second assistant Secretary responsible to the Secretary for special duties in connection with public relations, in formation and services for members as well as engaging

the services of a part-time public relations officer to act as consultant on public relations on journalistic and allied problems. Secondly, that concurrently with this appointment the Society should persue actively the pro blems of services to the profession under the heading of continuing education, information and law reform out lined in their report. It will in time necessitate the employment of further staff as assistant secretaries. Thirdly, they recommend as a necessary consequence to the first two recommendations that finance would be found for these operations by adding £5 to the fee pay able on taking out practising certificates and £4 to the annual subscription to the Society. This report was adopted by the Council and immediately referred back to the same committee to make recommendations for the practical carrying into effect of their recommenda tions. The Committee has been extremely active and recruitment of staff has commenced. It is intended to make available to members of the profession a very wide range of services, for example—to provide standard forms of documents covering every aspect of solicitors' activities ranging from specially designed forms for the initial attendance in various types of matters such as plaintiff for defendant in running down actions, ad ministration matters, conveyancing attendances and so on, to standardised forms for conveyancing matters such as requisitions on title, letting agreements and leases of various kinds. It is also intended to provide advice on accounting systems, office organisation, advice on pur chase of furniture, office machines and equipment. It will also be the duty of this division, and this is most important, to keep the profession regularly and accura tely informed on all matters of current interest such as the changes in the law by way of statute or statutory rules and orders, decisions of the courts in matters both of practice and law, whether otherwise reported or not, decisions of the taxing masters in matters of costs, current awards of damages in various types of common law actions and also promotional activities such as com pany formation. It is a mark of the energy with which this committee is pursuing its activities that a company promotion service is already in operation as you will have learned from the circular delivered to you during the last month. It is anticipated that a great many of these services which I have mentioned will become available within the coming twelve months and the committee are sending representatives abroad within the next fortnight to study how these matters are done elsewhere and to see how practices already in operation in other countries may be adapted to suit the special requirements of the profession in this country. These activities when carried into effect must, if availed of by a solicitor increase out of all measure his efficiency. He will have easy and quick access to up to the minute information on all matters related to his professional activities. It will remove from him much of the drudgery which is presently his lot to enable him to delegate a great deal of routine work of his office to his staff and thereby leaves himself with more time to keep himself abreast of the law and devote himself to the more skilled aspects of his professional activities. It has been truly said that every solicitor is his own public relations officer therefore the more efficient and well informed he. is the better service he can give to his clients with the resulting increase in his own reputation and the already high reputation which the profession enjoys in the public esteem. I do not pretend to have given a com plete list of the services which this branch of the Society's executive will offer but even if put into opera- 75