The Gazette 1967/71

charge the sum of £3 for registering the lease if he carries out this work. In opinion C 18 printed at page 217 of the 1968 Handbook the Council authorised agree ments between solicitors acting for local authori ties in schemes of this nature to charge a reduced scale fee of 1£% on the amount of the fine or purchase money whether payable in a lump sum or by instalments subject to a minimum fee of £10 to include all the work of the solicitor for the local authority. Solicitors acting for the tenant purchasers were authorised to charge on the same basis. There is an additional fee of 2gns. where there is a separate mortgage or collateral security. Rule 2 of the Solicitors Remuneration General Orders, Schedule 1, Part 2, provides that where the solicitor acts for the lessor and lessee he is entitled to one set of charges only. The Council however stated that if the solicitor for the lessor is required to act for the lessee then he would be entitled to a reasonable additional sum for so acting providing that the total charge would not exceed the amount of the legally permitted fees under the Solicitors Remuneration General Orders. The lessor cannot impose liability for all or part of his costs on the lessee. PROFESSIONAL LIABILITY INSURANCE Within the past few weeks details were announced of a group insurance scheme against liability for professional negligence for members of the Society. Messrs. Coyle & Co. (Insurance) Limited, 7 Anglesea Street, Dublin 2 have been retained as insurance consultants by the Society and will administer the scheme as agents for the Society through Irish Underwriting Agencies. The in surance will be effected with Federated Employers Insurance Association Ltd. and the cover pro vided and the premiums are, in the opinion of the Council, very favourable to the profession. There are two other advantages of the scheme, scheme: The Society will receive annually from Irish Underwriting Agencies Ltd. a statement of the premium income and losses experienced with the causes of the losses concerned. The Society will not of course have access to any information identifying the offices concerned which will be a private matter between Irish Underwriting Agencies Ltd. and the insured. All policies will be renewable on a single date— March 31st in each year with an apportionment of the premium where a member joins for the first time on an intermediate date giving the Society the advantage of a disposable block of

insurance policies renewable together. To ensure the strength and efficiency of the scheme it is essential that it should receive strong and widespread support from members of the Society. The policy includes cover for defamation, employer's liability and certain other risks in cidental to a solicitor's practice. STANDARD PERSONAL UNDERTAKING The Council have decided to publish for mem bers' use the standard form of personal under taking printed below. It is recommended that members of the Society should adopt this form both when giving undertakings or accepting them from others. Although consideration for an under taking may support a civil action on it, considera tion is not in the view of the Council necessary to bind a solicitor professionally to his obligations in the undertaking. A solicitor is always bound by a personal undertaking whether given in the undermentioned or any other form. A solicitor to whom an undertaking is offered may ask that it should be in this form which has been approved by the Council. Solicitors wishing to use the Society's standard form of personal undertaking may incorporate it by reference and a letter from a solicitor under taking to do certain things "in accordance with the Law Society's standard personal undertaking printed in the Society's Handbook" will be deemed to incorporate all the following terms.

PERSONAL UNDERTAKING

Title of matter

.................

We/I Solicitor(s) personally undertake with

of

hereby of

Solicitor(s) as follows:

1. 2. 3.

The parties understand that. (a) it is advisable

to obtain the client's written authority before giving an under taking but the solicitor giving the under taking will be personally bound whether or not the client's authority has been

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