The Gazette 1985

GAZETTE

JULY/AUGUST 1985

Correspondence

The Editor, Law Society Gazette, Blackhall Place, Dublin 7.

The Editor, Law Society Gazette, Blackhall Place, Dublin 7.

i July, 1985

Dear Sir,

re: Old Practices I would like to thank all those who responded to my letter in the March Gazette including Mr. Grace in the May Gazette. I am not claiming that we are the oldest law firm or even the oldest family firm in the country but the oldest continuous sole practitioner family practice in one town. Actually my great grandfather, Henry Harte Barry, was admitted in 1854 and founded the firm of Henry Harte Barry & Son in Kanturk, Co. Cork but I left him out of the reckoning because he never practised in Cashel. Incidentally, some people have suggested that an informal group of the older law families should get together to compare notes and perhaps publish an article in the Gazette ? Those in favour might let me know their views. Yours faithfully, Henry C. P. Barry, Solicitor, Charles M. Barry & Son, John St., Cashel, Co. Tipperary. ENGLISH AGENTS: Agency work undertaken for Irish Solicitors in England/ Wales in High Court personal injury cases and all types of County Court cases. Also conveyancing, probate and landlord/tenant matters. Legal Aid work undertaken including preparing and submitting the appropriate application form(s) to the Law Society. Fearon SL Co., Solicitors, 12 The Broadway, Woking, Surrey. GU21 5AU. Telephone Woking (04862) 26272. Telex 296500. PHOTOCOPIER FOR SALE. The Education Department of the Society has for sale a U-Bix 200 Photocopier, not yet 3 years old; 20 copies per minute. First £600 secures. Apply to the Education Officer, Law Society, Blackhall Place, Dublin 7. Tel. (01) 710711. The Profession BRIAN D. CASEY, formerly practising as Brian D. Casey & Company, Solicitors, Thomond House, High Street, Ennis, County Clare and STEPHEN NICHOLAS, formerly practising as S.F. Nicholas & Company, Solicitors, 1 Bank Place, Ennis, County Clare have amalgamated their practices and are now practising in the style of Casey Nicholas St Associates, Solicitors, Thomond House, High Street, Ennis, County Clare. Telephone Numbers 065-29949 and 20811. CARTAN O'MEARA St KIERAN, Solicitors, formerly of 17 Upper Leeson Street, Dublin 4, and EUGENE F. COLLINS St SON, Solicitors, are pleased to announce the merger of their respective practices, and as and from 2nd July, 1985, will practice under the name of Eugene F. Collins St Son, at 61 Fitzwilliam Square, Dublin 2. Phone: 761924-785766-789904-760704-789139-606909-761581. Telex 33028 SUE EI. 221 Professional Information (continued from p. 222)

22 June 1985

Dear Sir, Please permit me to comment upon the letter of Mr. Pearse Rayel, Chief Executive of the Legal Aid Board, published in the January/February issue of the Gazette. Unfortunately it has only just come to my attention. Mr. Rayel criticises your editorial for giving the impression that the recommendations of the Pringle Committee on Civil Legal Aid and Advice were almost totally ignored by the Government. Yet even a cursory comparison of the Pringle report with the Legal Aid Scheme drives one to the conclusion that this is indeed the case. Perhaps the central recommendation of the committee was: "In a comprehensive scheme, legal aid should be available for all types of civil proceedings. There seems to be no logical basis on which any particular case category could be excluded." Yet the scheme sets out a litany of excluded case categories. Secondly, Pringle's recommendations on how the legal aid service ought to be delivered were completely ignored by the Government. The report envisaged a service provided jointly by a panel of private practitioners and a network of Community Law Centres. Mr. Rayel, in his letter, concedes that the scheme administered by his board differs from the one recommended by Pringle in that private practitioners are excluded. But he implies that the setting up of the board's Law Centres is an implementation of the recommendations of the Pringle committee. Mr. Rayel should know that this is not true. The Pringle Committee recommended that there be Community Law Centres. These would be focussed on particular communities, with local involvement in setting up and running them. They would not be limited to legal work, but free to participate in, for example, education programmes on legal rights. Pringle identified this type of activity as "quite important if they are to make progress in identifying hidden need". A social worker was to be employed in each centre. None of these recommendations were implemented by the Government. The Law Centres run by the Government are not Community Law Centres. They have none of the features that make Community Law Centres "one of the most important recent developments in tha, c ommon law world in the technique of providing legal services to the poor".

Yours faithfully, Eamonn Conlon, Chairperson, FLAC, 49 South William St., Dublin 2.