The Gazette 1977

GAZETTE

N O V E M B E R

1977

ourselves, but also to society. We are the privileged few who have had opportunities to take up occupations which bring a larger measure of personal satisfaction, which have allowed us take personal responsibility for our actions, and in which human values predominate. We have experience which can be of much value to a society as yet capable of organising itself into fairly sub-divisions: whether these be the Employer/Labour Conference or the Party in Power and the Party in Opposition. What we represent is Diversity organised. We represent the delegation of authority in the pursuance of common aims without the loss of a keenly-felt personal responsibility. We have a responsibility to offer society the example of such authority — both personal and collective. Society is interested. Communities are struggling with the need to find expression for their individual and neighbourhood identities and responsibilities within existing structures. Churches are struggling with the need to express anew individual and group relationships. Both employers and employees are struggling to find new structures which will allow the development of human potential. Can we affirm our authority, take on the task and give society the benefits of our insights and experience? If we do, there is no doubt that it is we who will ultimately benefit — we who will ultimately be seen to be relevant. DUBLIN SOLICITORS' BAR ASSOCIATION District Court No. 1, Morgan Place District Justice Donnelly, on 8th December 1977, made a Ruling intended to assist Solicitors practising in his Court. Henceforth, all applications for substituted service of all documents in Justice Donnelly's Court, including Civil Processes, Examination Orders, Instalment Orders and Committal Summonses, will be taken on the first Thursday of each month at 10.30 a.m. On these dates, all appropriate Civil Bill Officers will be required to attend. The object of this Ruling is to overcome the difficulty of securing the attendance of Civil Bill Officers who, heretofore, may have been called to attend in Court at least three times a week. Urgent applications will, as usual, be dealt with at the sitting of the Court on any day. Justice Donnelly's initiative in this respect is much appreciated and, if the scheme works as well as is hoped, the Bar Association will suggest to the other Justices in the Area that they should make similar Rulings. Nuala Kernan, President.

It can apply to those professional people who work together in close relationship within complex and often large organisations: because of difficulties in the performance of a professional task, the temptation is to project one's distress on to others and thereby undermine their capacity to perform their task. What is required is a shared definition of authority — not the use of either authoritarianism or immature dependency. If we cannot come to a shared understanding of our boundaries — we cannot possibly maintain the authority necessary to our professionalism. The importance of a grouping of the representatives of different Professional Associations, such as the Federation, is that it gives us the Forum within which we can come to definitions of our inter-dependent boundaries, to a definition of our shared professionalism, and to common policy in our relationships with outside bodies. Definitions of our inter-related and inter- dependent boundaries allow those with working relationship to maintain their authority in their performance of their different tasks. Definition of our shared professionalism supports each of us in the maintenance of our professional standards and thereby reinforces the value of professionalism as such. Having come to such shared definitions, we can then develop common policy through the combination of our skills and within the authority structure of a shared task. Common policy would allow us to properly take up our place in society. It is noticeable that other groups have been able to come to definition of their common aims much earlier than we. Perhaps our concern to maintain the importance of individual responsibility has slowed our efforts to say so with one voice. The Irish Congress of Trade Unions is established as the central authority of the trade union movement a long time. Congress has no authority in the internal affairs of member unions — yet it can represent the Trade Union movement in its relationships with Government and Employer organisations. The Federated Union of Employers represents management in industrial relations in industry and business. The Irish Farmers Association represents farmers within the State and abroad. The members of these groups do not forego their individual aspirations or responsibilities by belonging to the group. They can develop authority structure by the definition of common tasks and by taking roles in the pursuance of those tasks. Professional people have authority structures within their own Professional Associations — why are we so slow to define our common goals as professional people? When we find ourselves ignored by Governments — is- our reaction to waste talents in survival activities, with the accompanying inevitable hostilities and destruction, or can we reassert our authority by agreeing a definition of the particular task in hand and using our many capacities in pursuance of that task? Unfortunately, in my short experience of this Federation, member Associations have shared very little of themselves. The Federation seems to be regarded as a cheap insurance policy — it might never be needed but better keep it there in case of future difficulties. This keeping the FPA in limbo does great dis- service to the cause of professionalism — it neither allows the FPA develop a proper authority structure, nor kills it off to allow an alternative arrangement to develop. I put it to you that such activity represents unprofessional behaviour. If professionalism is seen by society to be irrelevant, or even anti-social — we have only ourselves to blame. But, unfortunately, we bear a responsibility not only to 202