The Gazette 1993

GAZETTE

MWH DECEMBER 1993

funding were being examined, including applications to the National Heritage Council and to the European Community. He said the Society, as a | temporary custodian of one of the | finest buildings to be seen anywhere in I Europe, had a duty to maintain it. The policy in relation to the building at I Blackhall Place was over time to try to enhance the facilities available for use j by members. ! "Capping" proposal Bruce St. John Blake raised the issue of the proposal to 'cap' personal injury awards currently being promoted by j the Minister of State for Commerce & | Technology, Seamus Brennan, TD. He said it was essential that the Society | should campaign strenuously against this proposal as he believed it would be difficult to deter the Minister. The I Society must harness public support | against the proposal and emphasise that i a cap would not reduce insurance ! premiums. He said he believed it would be difficult to get the Minister to listen to this point as he seemed to attack anyone who criticised his proposals and simply stated that he i would not yield to "vested interests". He asked that incoming President of j State, where overnight, condoms were miraculously no longer contraceptives (because mens' health was now affected) and, therefore, no longer prohibited; and in a State where equality has meant that women have the right to pay their costs but often little else; and in a State where successive Govern- ments have failed to appoint qualified women to high office, we need more and more studies such as this not just to make progress - but to achieve equity. Elma Lynch •

There had been no formal meeting of the Solicitors Acts Committee but the Society had been very active in discussing with officials of the department of Justice amendments to certain provisions that had been published in the Solicitors (Amendment) Bill, 1991 and the inclusion of further provisions considered necessary by the Society. Premises Given that there had been unexpected expenditure of £500,000 on the building and that this was a major contributor to the Society's current overdraft, and noting that the Society now appeared to require the purchase of an additional two buildings, Jerry Sheehan enquired whether there was a policy on premises. Replying, the chairman of the Blackhall Place Development Plan Committee, Adrian Bourke , assured Mr. Sheehan that there was a policy. The Society, as yet, had not acquired any new premises but the purchase of premises at Wood Lane would take place early in 1994. The Society had an option on a premises at Hendrick Place. Both buildings were directly adjoining Blackhall Place. He informed the meeting that sources of somewhat of a fiction and that the anti- discrimination laws hide a bleak reality which leaves women isolated and frustrated. J As a solicitor myself, I was interested in the chapter on the legal profession. This article was based on statistical analysis | and on interviews with many women in j the profession. Having been in the pro- j fession myself for twenty three years, I j would not necessarily agree with all of ! its conclusions but, like every other ( woman, I have experience the petty I prejudices that have existed for many | years in the profession and still exist. One might feel that this book is of i interest to women only. I don't believe | so. I think it behoves anyone who is Í interested in the position of their wives and daughters before the law to read it. | While one might not agree with every- thing that is stated in each chapter and the conclusions drawn, I feel that in a i Book Reviews (Continued from page 403)

the Society to pursue this matter as vigorously as possible.

Tribute to President Desmond Moran proposed a vote of thanks to the outgoing President, Raymond Monahan, for all his hard work during his term of office. Mr. Moran said it was an onerous job that took enormous stamina. He said he would also like to propose a vote of thanks to Eileen Monahan. Seconding the motion of thanks, William Devine, said that he had never heard a critical word about Raymond Monahan. He had been an excellent representative of the profession in the media. He appreciated the great efforts that the President had made to attend Bar Association meetings around the country. He had been particularly impressed by the Annual Conference of the Society in Connemara and the manner in which Raymond Monahan had taken a per- sonal interest in everybody attending. He praised the letter to members of the profession written by the President of the Society last April. Concluding, he thanked Raymond Monahan for raising the profile of the office of President. D demands of the marketplace. What does this mean? It means focusing on the competencies individuals can offer to an employer, such as those listed above. New thinking by solicitors in the way information is presented in their CVs will greatly increase their chances of being called for interview both in private practice and in the wider careers market. As a pilot project, two CV development workshops have been organised to facilitate individuals in this undertaking. Queries relating to any aspect of the Employment Register or alternative careers should be addressed to Hazel Boylan, Careers Adviser, at the Law School, Blackhall Place. • Barbara Cahalane Alternative careers for Solicitors (Continued from page 399)

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