The Gazette 1979

GAZETTE

SEPTEMBER 1979

Next, apprentices were shown other relevant Probate forms namely, Schedule of Lands and Buildings (for Capital Acquisition Tax purposes), the ordinary Notice of Application for Grant of Probate and the Oath for Executor. Afternoon tea break intervened between this demonstration and the final exercise, results from which were as before. Each person on the course was supplied for the day with all required papers and copy forms and at this stage, the complete probate file of a fictitious deceased person was examined. The final items on the day's agenda were the statutory notice to creditors and the calculation of probate fees. A general summary of the day's work was then given and this concluded the session. This day is part of a 9-day pro- gramme on Probate and Administration and in order to check competence and application, apprentices will from time to time be subjected to assessment tests. • * • The reactions of the participants on the second Pro- fessional Course are not out of place at this early stage in its running. For one thing, the new regulations rely to a great extent on practising solicitors and others working in different capacities in the legal system giving up their offices for a day or a couple of days so that their exper- tise and experience would be available for the benefit of the graduates on the course. In this regard, it is not in- appropriate to quote a paragraph from the annual report for 1978/79 of the Chairman of the Education Advisory Committee, John F. Buckley "The great thanks of the profession are due to all the members of the profession and contributors from outside the profession who par- ticipated in the first Professional Course. The willingness with which busy practitioners have responded to requests to participate, on a few occasions at particularly short notice, has been remarkable." (para. 11.10, p. 163 October 1979 Gazette). It is not envisaged that the willingness and co-operation of practitioners will be any less strong the second time round. For another thing, because it is early days yet in the second Professional Course the reactions of apprentices might perhaps be stronger and more critical. That this was so will be plain. "Well be great Civil Servants at the end" said one with the unusual background of having worked two days a week in a solicitor's office while an undergraduate. She was honest enough to admit that her reaction was strong and maybe, exceptional. It certainly was exceptional when gauged against the average comment from the fifteen or so apprentices interviewed. All were happy that the course was very good and fore- saw that when their integrated apprenticeships expired, they would be truly qualified solicitors. Eamonn Mongey made a strong point in this regard: "In terms of confidence and capacity, these people have the best of training and will be very well equipped to undertake and have delegated to them a lot of work and responsibility, when they go back to their offices." That there were no suggestions for improvement or criticisms would be a bad misrepresentation. Their range Was in fact enormous. Practical problems posed were: Would not the instalment of lifts facilitate going from lecture hall to tutorial rooms, two floors above, and vice v ersa? and, could the closed circuit television sets be fixed so that they are operational when required? Another Point raised, particular to the second Professional Course

due to the larger than normal numbers taking part, was that those sitting at tables on the wings in the lecture hall had not a good view of the closed circuit T.V. screens and are out of focus of the Consultants sitting at the table. A more substantive criticism of the course expressed was that there was a lack of uniformity in treatment and tui- tion from subject to subject. This manifested itself in some subjects with tuition being too academic, printed direc- tions and forms not being standard in quality and quantity, or instructions for tutorials not being adequate. These aside, all are impressed. The course is demand- ing and tiring, being from 9.30 to 4.30 or 5.00, Ave days a week. In the end, all hope that the labour and struggles down the quays to make it to Blackhall Place by half past nine every morning will have been worth it. THE TAXES ACTS The SECOND SUPPLEMENT to the loose-leaf volumes, "The Taxes Acts", has now been published. The supplement embodies the amend- ments made by the Capital Gains Tax (Amend- ment) Act, 1978, and the Finance Act, 1979. It is available from the Government Publications Sale Office, G.P.O. Arcade, Dublin 1. Price: £5 (Postage 48p extra)

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