The Gazette 1983

GAZETTE

JULY/AUGUST 1983

accumulated expertise, yet it is typical in American law, as one of the Executive Committee partners puoudly informed me, that its best practitioners are keen to go public with their professional knowledge and to share it with fellow lawyers through the CLE system. Firms can also hire 'Videolaw' seminars, taped demonstrations of specific skills such as 'the cross-examination of a witness with immunity in a federal narcotics case'. Some characteristically American touches are added — one of the courses in a ntitrust (anti-monopoly) law is presented in a 'gameshow' format, in which the contestants answer questions about their business deals and a big plastic dial lights up every time an answer reveals a potential antitrust violation. 'Time' Magazine in April 1978 carried a famous cover story entitled 'Those »** ! ? !Lawy e r s' (or expletive-sub- stitutes to that effect), and some 'Irish Times' readers may recall Doonesbury's general testifying that America could comc through a nuclear war and bounce back within two years — unless a disproportionate number of lawyers survived. The American legal profession is constantly under critical public scrutiny, unsurprisingly in an adversarial society, where litigation has become the new secular religion. But although people complain about the profession in general, American Bar Association surveys consistently show that they tend to be very satisfied with their own lawyer. Melvin Belli, a San Francisco attorney known as the 'King of Torts' for his success in winning major malpractice and negligence suits, recently declared that the United States "is in the golden age of the law". "The law is better here than ever before", he told U.S. News & World Report last October. "That includes the schools, the books, and the seminars given for lawyer re-education. The number of incompetent lawyers is decreasing. Lawsuits help ensure that Americans have a good life. We protect our rights if anyone attempts to trample on them. One of the colonial flags included a rattlesnake with the legend 'Don't Tread On Me'. That's the American mind of today as expressed by lawyers. We don't let anyone tread on us". If Belli is right about the golden age. and my Wall Street experience gave me no reason to doubt that he is. then my return visit in summer 1983 will be happening at just the right time. • Solicitors' Golfing Society President's (Michael Houlihans) Prize Baltray Golf Club. Presidents Prize & Law Society Challenge Cup Ronnie Lynam (17) 45 pt. Runner up Conor Breen (5) 41 pts. Ryan Cup: Gerard Doyle (26) 39 pts. Runner up Michael Green (15) 36 pts on last 3. Under 12: Brian O'Brien Kenny (7) 42 pts. Runner up George O'Sullivan (9) 40 pts. 1st Nine: Brian O'Sullivan (8) 21 pts. 2nd Nine: Kevin Byrne (8) 21 pts. Over 30 miles: Bill Hartnett (9) 38 pts. By lot: Brian O'Brien (17) 36 pts. Cyril Coyle (11) 32 pts.

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