The Gazette 1992

GAZETTE

SEPTEMBER 1992

B

K

W

summary of the various Parts of the Act. There is very little reference to case law throughout the book - Mr. Phelan refers to eight company law cases in all. The Companies Act of 1990 does not in itself follow a logical sequence and for practitioners who require to read the provisions of the Act in their general context a book such as "Company Law in the Republic of Ireland" by Judge Ronan Keane is likely to be of more relevance. In general, therefore I feel the book is unlikely to gain a substantial following amongst general practitioners, particularly those who only occasionally encounter company law problems. Mr. Phelan's treatment requires an overall knowledge of the provisions of earlier legislation and of the general company law structure as a whole. Practitioners who are company law specialists will require more detail than the summaries presented by Mr. Phelan. However, the book may be helpful as a quick reference to particular sections of the Act, although, I personally would prefer to refer to the Irish Current Law Statutes Annotated. Anne Neary (1992 edition) (Sweet & Maxwell 1514 pp, £85.00, Hardback). Compiling a directory is a thankless task as the writer of this notice well information in it begins to date. People change their employment, move premises or their telephone numbers acquire extra digits. The compilation of Havers' Companion to the Bar was undoubtedly a mammoth task, made commerically viable by the fact that, in addition knows. For, no sooner is the directory published, than the Havers' Companion to The Bar

to solicitors, members of some 31 professional organisations in England and Wales are now entitled to instruct barristers directly. A note from the publishers says that publication of the book followed closely on the relaxation of the bar rules restricting advertising. This, the publishers say, has enabled the bar to give the range of information that makes production of a book of this nature possible. Information is provided on over 5,000 individual barristers who practise in England and Wales. The directory is user friendly. The first step is to identify the area of practice, then consult the relevant table which lists those barristers offering their services within that field of law. You may then turn to the alphabetical list of biographies for assistance in selecting the individual barrister from amongst those practising within the field you require. Interestingly, there is a section which indicates those barristers who are capable of conducting their practices in a foreign language. Finally, a section on chambers lists their members' addresses and scope and nature of their work. The directory is attractively presented with clear print - essential features of a publication so dense with information. In his foreword, The Right Hon. Lord Havers says: "The Courts and Legal Services Act and the Single European Act heralded a period of increasing demand for, as well as great change in, the provision of legal services in England and Wales. With more people offering and competing to provide those services, it is now more important than ever that those who need legal services have access to the particular legal expertise which they require".

Guide to the Irish Companies Acts, 1990

By Michael P. Phelan (Gill & Macmillan, 395pp £29.99 paperback). Michael P Phelan has produced a hardback guide to the two Company Law Acts of 1990 priced at £29.99. The two statutes concerned, the Companies Act, 1990 and the Companies (Amendment) Act, 1990 introduced major changes into Irish law, including extending the duties and liabilities of directors, introducing the notion of insider dealings, imposing new requirements on directors to disclose interests in shares and loans and introducing court protection for companies in financial difficulties. The Companies Act, 1990, which is the main Act, comprises 13 Parts with a total of 299 sections. Mr. Phelan uses a fairly simple formula - he devotes a chapter to each of the 13 Parts and commences each chapter with a very short summary describing the intent of the relevant Part. He reproduces the text of each section of that Part in full. He then sets out the definitions of the terms in that section by reference to definitions contained in the legislation. This is followed by a summary of each section and subsection - essentially simplifying the language of the draftsmen. Mr. Phelan, however, writes from the perspective of a business consultant and, therefore, this is not a detailed book on company law. I do not feel that this format is of particular use to lawyers who are used to reading legislation and do not need a simultaneous translation of the passage into plain English. Practitioners who are not familiar with the detailed provisions of the legislation would perhaps be more interested in an overview or a

268