The Gazette 1978

JULY-AUGUST

1978

GAZETTE

Law Society Notes

Council Dinner The Annual Dinner of the Council of the Society was held in the Lecture Room of Blackhall Place on Thursday, 30th March, 1978. The President, Mr. Joseph L. Dundon, received the 150 guests. The guests included the Minister for Finance, (Mr. George Collcy, T.D.), the Minister for Industry, Commerce and Energy (Mr. Desmond O'Malley, T.D.), the Chief Justice (The Hon. T. F. O'Higgins), Mr. Justice Walsh, Mr. Justice Henchy, Mr. Justice Griffin, Mr. Justice Kenny, Mr. Justice D'Arcy, Mr. Justice Costello, Judge Buchanan, Judge Clarke, Judge Conroy, Judge O'Connor, the President of the District Court (Justice O'Floinn), Senator Patrick Cooney (former Minister for Justice), Mr. Richie Ryan, T.D. (former Minister for Finance), the President of the Incorporated Law Society of Northern Ireland (Miss Thomasina McKinnev), the President of the Southern Law Association (Mr. John^ Jermyn), the President of the Dublin Solicitors' Bar Association (Mr. Thomas Jackson), the Master of the High Court (Mr. Patrick Lindsay), the Commissioner of the Garda (Mr. Patrick McLaughlin), Professor Edward Ryan (University College, Cork), Professor Kevin Boyle (University College, Galway), and the Director of Public Prosecutions (Mr. Eamonn Barnes). The toast of "Our Guests" was proposed by Mrs. Moya Quinlan, Vice-President and responded to by Mr. Justice Costello. The toast of the Society was proposed by Mr. George Colley, T.D., and responded to by the President.

The Provision of Medical Certificates Meetings were held recently between representatives of the Council of the Law Society and of the Federation of Insurers of Ireland, with a view to reaching agreement on procedures which would have the effect of minimising the cost incurred in obtaining medical reports and the costs and difficulty in procuring the attendance of medical witnesses at the trial of personal injury actions. Arising out of these meetings, the Society recommends to its members the adoption of the following procedures which have the approval of the Federation of Insurers of Ireland, viz.: 1. The Plaintiffs solicitor will furnish to the Defendant's solicitors or Insurers, on a strictly Without Prejudice basis, copies of all his client's medical reports for consideration. These may be adopted on behalf of the Defendant and render independent examinations unnecessary. 2. If no reports are available or made available, independent examination will proceed, by agreement without the Plaintiffs doctor or surgeon in attendance, otherwise in the ordinary way. copies of the ensuing report or reports being made available to the Plaintiffs solicitor, again on a Without Prejudice basis. 3. Each party should endeavour, where possible, to agree to the admission of the other party's medical reports in evidence at the trial of the action. 4. Where no agreement is reached, each party may call medical evidence on its own behalf in the usual way. While the Society hopes that whenever possible the foregoing procedure will be adopted, whether or not it is . adopted is at the discretion of the solicitor for the parties and subject to the consent of their clients in any particular case.

Valuation for compensation is our business

O s b o r n o K i n g &

M e g r a n

Revenue Stamps The Society has been informed that adhesive stamps will be available shortly for the newly prescribed amounts. However, it will be a considerable time before the dies for the impressed stamps will be available. Town Agents have drawn the attention of the Society to the fact that the use of adhesive stamps on a large scale is both troublesome and time-consuming. In the circumstances, it has been suggested that solicitors who "have a large volume of court work should provide themselves with a slock of the most usual forms stamped in advance in blank. There is provision in Dublin Castle for stamping blank forms. Such stamped forms might then be forwarded to the Town Agent as the need arose.

Dublin 760251 Cork 21371 * Galway 65261