The Gazette 1975

(c) The right to agree on costs or fees to the extent provided by the New Zealand Statutory Regulations which are a vast improvement on the statutory position existing in relation to our costs; this power, coupled with the right of the Law Society to refer any disputed. bill to taxation.

(d) The statutory provision which prohibits a newly qualified solicitor or barrister from commencing practice on his own account, without first having some years experience in an office as an assistant.

W. A. OSBORNE, President

When Not to React to Press or Media Conflict is always welcome by the news media: it is claimed to stimulate reader interest. When a con- troversy can be initiated and then fed by two or more parties all would appear to be satisfactory from the reader interest angle. They were factual, non-controversial and non-headline making.

Several of the matters mentioned in the page feature prepared by Liem O Cunaigh could have been cleared up very simply if they had been checked with the Secretariat of the Incorporated Law Society. There was, for example, an allusion to the embezzlement of £329,000 but no reference whatever to the fact that owing to the existence of he Compensation Fund of the Incorporated Law Society the public does not suf- fer in the case of such a default. The Public Relations and Services Committee re- viewed the publication and because of the obvious half-truths, therefore unanswerable, decided that it de- served no further comment. When publication of material which is deemed to be actionable—and some appears very close to it—you may take it that immediate steps will be taken to halt abuse of the valued freedom of the Press and the lib- elling of the legal profession. The President has made it clear to the Public Press and the Profession that there is awareness in a very small percentage of practitioners but where these cases are brought to the attention of the Society the pro- tection of the client—and the reputation of the pro- fession—will be the primary consideration. It is worth noting that this feature article appeared on the same page as the excellent "Evening Press" feature "Expert Service" which has on several occasions expressed appreciation of the Law Society for its hand- ling of queries which have been passed to it by the department responsible for the feature.

Solicitors, through the errors of diktoriness of an increasing number of the profession and (more fre- quently) through the failure of the public to appre- ciate the legal processes which they—through the gov- ernments they elect—have set up to protect them- selves, are a frequent target. Every unhappy litigant apparently feels a grievance and is willing to air it on TV, radio or through the Press. Should the Law Society immediately write an in- dignant letter to the Editor of the newspaper and thereby stimulate—and prolong—a controversy? The Public Relations Committee thinks it should not; such replies would be a negative reaction, and the needs of the Society is to develop a positive image—a slow process but one to which every member of the pro- fession can really contribute through his handling of clients' affairs. The most recent airing of grievances—some of them very "airy" indeed—was contained in the "Evening Press" of Friday, October 17. A page was devoted al- most entirely to the "misdeeds" of solicitors. Much of the material was based on an interview with Mr. Brian Bell who earlier this year created the Association for , Clients of the Legal Profession for which he now claims 300 supporters—surely a modest figure when the total volume of cases and other work handled annually by solicitors is considered. The Law Society's views ex- pressed by the President were accorded modest space.

Irish Capital Gains Tax Extel Statistical Services Limited have announced the imminent publication of a book containing Base Day prices of quoted securities, for use in calculating Capital Gains Tax liabilities. Discussions have been held with the Revenue Com- missioners, who have given their approval to the prices contained within the book.

The book is priced £10.00, and is available from the publishers Extel Statistical Services Limited, 37/45 Paul Street, London, EC2A 4PB, telephone no. 01-253-3400 or Extel Statistical Sendees Limited, Arthur House, Chorlton Street, Manchester, MI 3FH, telephone No. 061-236-5802.

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