The Gazette 1991

GAZETTE

JUNE 199 1

News from the Irish Solicitors Bar Association (London)

Society decided that the aptitude test for Irish solicitors would be a nil one, which is fitting, as Ireland is the only other EC Member State with a common law system.

To my great delight I am able to report that the long-awaited re– qualification of Irish solicitors in England and Wales has now at last happened. As anyone who has been follow– ing the subject will know, certain statutory provisions in the Irish Solicitors Acts meant that reciprocity between the respective Law Societies was not possible. As a result, an Irish solkitor wishing to re -qualify in England and Wales was in no better position than someone who had just graduated from an English university. To re– qualify here an Irish solicitor would have had to pass the Law Society's common professional examination (with some exemptions for Irish law graduates), attend the one year Law Society finals course, pass the Law Society finals examination and then undergo a two year period of fication of Irish solicitors in England and Wales has now .. . happened." articles. Obviously, this was not a practical course of action for any Irish solicitor to take and indeed it was to lobby to change this situa– tion that the Irish Solicitors in London Bar Association was form– ed in May 1988. The EC Directive on the Mutual Recognition of Higher Education Diplomas, which was due to come into force on 4 January of this year, prov ided us with the necessary hope. We were delighted when the Law Society of England and Wales (referred to in this article as "The Law Society") announced last year that, because the training of Irish solicitors is so similar to that of solicitors in England and Wales, Irish solicitors seeking to re-qualify here under the terms of the Di recti ve w ould not have to sit any examinations. Lawyers from other EC Member States will have to sit an aptitude test but the Law II • • • the long-awaited requali–

solicitors were enrolled as solicitors in England and Wales on 15 January of this year amid much celebrating. Normally, solicitors admitted in this jurisdiction have to wait six to eight months before attending a presentation of certificates cere-

By Cliona M O'Tuama (President)

Following negotiations which I had with the Law Society, as a special concession to our Associa– tion they very kindly agreed to process any applications from Irish solicitors received before 13 October 1990 in advance of the implementation of the Directive on 4 January 1991. This enabled the Irish solicitors in question to be admitted on the first admission date after 4 January, which was 15 January, and to obtain practising certificates immediately thereafter. (Unlike the Irish Law Society, the Law Society has formal admission dates twice a month). 68 Irish

Cliona M . O ' Tuama, Solicitor, receiving her parchment at the recent admission ceremony in london, from The President of The law Society of England & Wales Tony Holland.

Front Row: (left to right) Victor Timon, Cliona O 'Tuama, Anne Counihan, John Randall (Director, Professional Standards and Development Directorate, The law Society of England and Wales). Back Row: (left to right) Philip lee, Professor Richard Woulfe, Director of Education, The law Society, Du,blin, Tony Holland, President of The law Society of England and Wales, Roderick Bourke.

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