The Gazette 1990

GAZETTE

SEPTEMBER 1990

necessary for our profession that it has become. Funds were raised through the sale fo the top floors of the Solicitors Buildings to the Bar Council, from the profession itself, including the members' Prize Bond Fund and by term loan from the Society's bankers, the Bank of Ireland. The construction team was led by the late Terence E. Nolan, architect, who had previously worked with Jim on hospital building projects in the North Western Health Board. Because of the age and nature of the building, the initial major building contract negotiated with G. & T. Cramptons was on a time and materials basis and was ultimately to cost £1.25m. Building progress was carefully monitored at the monthly meetings of the Premises Committee. By 1978 the premises were ready for the final transfer of the Society's activities from the Four Courts to Blackhall Place and in that year, in the presidency of Joseph Dundon, the premises were formally opened by the then Taoiseach, Jack Lynch. In subsequent projects, the members lounge, bar and toilet areas were expanded to facilitate the use of the premises for membership functions. In recent years up to £0.5 million has been spent in eradicating the effects of acid rain and pollution generally on the exterior of this two centuries old building and in providing for the expansion in the numbers of students attending the LawSchool. Ongoing work will still be required but, today Blackhall Place is insured for IR£16m, reflecting the wisdom of the original difficult decision to proceed. While the Society's administra- tion was transferred from the Four Courts in 1978, the facilities there have been progressively developed to provide a service for members working in the courts; further im- When the Finance Act 1975, made improved provisions for self- employed pensions, the Society availed of the opportunity to establish the Retirement Fund for members in private practice, with the Bank of Ireland Group as trustees and fund managers. Today, the Fund stands at over IR£14 provements are in hand. R E T I R EMENT FUND

million, and is growing every year. Jimwill be particularly remembered by more senior members approach- ing retirement age for his constant promotion of this Fund up and down the country. COUNC I L FUNC T I ONS Jim's main strength has been as an administrator. It requires strength of character and not a little tact and diplomacy each year to adapt to a new President, a new Council, and new Committees. Each year Jim and the rest of the administration of the Society appeared to glide effortlessly from one presidency to the next — a compliment indeed. The servicing of the various Committees of the Council, maintaining their continuity and clarifying the effect of any proposed policy changes, is a critical part of the efficient functioning of the Society. During Jim's period as Director General, the number of committees, their range of activities and their importance — in serving both the public interest and the profession itself — has grown a hundred fold. Specialist committees have been established to deal with the areas of litigation, taxation, conveyancing and company law, which commit- tees make representations to Government and other agencies where appropriate and issue advices to members. A distillation of fifteen years work by the Conveyancing Committee will shortly be supplied to members in handbook form. Interaction between the Taxation Committee and the Revenue Commissioners led to the introduction of self- assessment in respect of Capital Acquisitions Tax and the recent joint production of an educational video on the subject. In 1975 there was the Lees' enquiry into conveyancing and legal costs, to be followed in the early 1980s by the Restrictive Practices Commission inquiry into convey- ancing and restrictions on adver- tising by solicitors; and more recently by the just published Fair Trade Commission Report on Legal Services. Those inquiries required considerable involvement of Jim and his staff as well as Council members in respresenting the Society's views on the matters at issue and in commenting thereafter on the Reports when published.

T HE E X P E RT AS A C O U RT W I T N E SS

MULTI-PROFESSIONAL S E M I N A R

FRIDAY AFTERNOON 1 6 T H N O V E M B E R

I.E.I. CENTRE DUBLIN.

FOR INFORMATION

CONTACT:

JOSEPH O'NEILL OFFICE: (01) 713177 HOME: (01) 931088

With the enactment of the Building Societies Act 1989, the solicitors' monopoly in the conveyancing area has been legislatively eroded, but the Society's representations to the Minister for the Environment were successful in ensuring that the rights of the individual purchaser/ mortgagor to independent legal advice were safeguarded in the Act. The story is not yet complete in that the relevant detailed statutory regulations to bemade by the Minister for Justice are still awaited. The mid 1980s sawconsiderable efforts expended in bringing the Society's internal affairs up to date. The Guide to Professional Conduct was published, and the Society's Bye-Laws and Council Regulations were revised and updated. The removal of the restriction on adver- tising by solicitors was debated at length over three General Meetings and eventually narrowly agreed to in a ballot of members; the neces- sary Regulations were made (S.I. No. 344 of 1988), effective from 1 January 1989. A major achievement in recent years was the establishment of the Solicitors Mutual Defence Fund to provide professional indemnity insurance for members at a competitive cost. The Fund is now in its fourth year, and, as of now,

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