The Gazette 1994

GAZETTE

B O O K

R E V I E W S

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 1994

Tocqueville proclaimed lawyers the American aristocracy. If this is still so, the lawyers featured in Law Firms in Europe represent la creme de la créme of the legal elite. Law Firms in Europe is a guide to the legal commercial law firms in Europe. Western, Central and Eastern Europe are included. There are two distinct parts in each chapter: the editorial section and the directory section. The editorial section consists of factual information and commentary. The commentary consists of a general review as to which firms do what types of work and which firms are generally considered by their peers to have a "good name" within the national international legal community. The editorial is based principally on the combined opinions of the many lawyers who contributed to the research in each country. The editor states that it is important to appreciate that the editorial lists should not be taken as a definitive statement on European law firms but rather as a starting point for discussion. Readers will be interested to note that in relation to Ireland, the editorial states that billing rates are agreed in advance by the client in the law firm and these may vary according to the complexity and value of the matter but, as a guide, the typical hourly rate for a partner is around IR£150. Overall, the view is that the legal profession in Ireland is faring well and it would seem that the outlook for 1994 is promising. The property markets are beginning to pick up and the steady stream of blue chip companies into Ireland is considered an important source of new work for many of Ireland's leading commercial law firms. The editorial states, however, that newly-qualified lawyers find it difficult to secure a job with a law firm in Dublin. The book is not confined to EU countries and firms throughout

Lawyers with overseas business will find Law Firms in Europe useful.

Law Firms in Europe: The Guide to Europe's Commercial Law Firms

Dr. Eamonn G. Hall

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Edited by John Pritchard, Legalease, London, 752, pp, paperback, Stg £29 plus £4 postage. In Lions of the Eighties: The Inside Story of the Powerhouse Law Firms, (Doubleday, New York, 1982), Paul Hoffman opened the doors of the powerful world of corporate law firms and introduced us to the powerbrokers who influenced the decisions of top businessmen and politicians in the United States. He wrote of the men "who have worked and wormed and wriggled their way" to the top positions in legal firms. He noted that the top corporate firms were the movers and shakers of the legal establishment, the "lions" of the legal profession. Except for rare public personages, they were anonymous men, unknown to the general public and strangers even to many lawyers. Hoffman could very well have been writing about the top law firms in Ireland. He noted that the lawyers in the top law firms do not breed Perry Masons who indulge injury swinging, headline-hunting histrionics. Despite the explosion in litigation, few corporate lawyers see the inside of a courtroom and their knowledge of murder cases and the general criminal law was confined to movies and mystery novels. The average man or woman would never have occasion to consult these legal eagles. The lions of the corporate law firms do not deal century the powerhouse law firms in New York had a virtual monopoly of the legal representation of America's wealth, commercial banks, investment banks and stockbrokers. with the average legal problem. Hoffman noted that for nearly a

The Circuit Court - Draft Order Precedents

by Samuel Gill, Chief Clerk, Cork Circuit Court, 1994, 256pp, hardback, £35.00. This book is written by the former Chief Clerk of the Cork Circuit Court who has 24 years experience in the administrative side of the Court. It is a straightforward book which is an invaluable tool for the busy Circuit Court practitioner. Its author wrote it "in an attempt to lift the veil of mystique from the drafting of Orders in the Circuit Court". Many practitioners will recognise the feeling of concern on being faced with that very task, which feeling rapidly rises to panic when one's offering is rejected by the Circuit Court Office. The availability of a reliable set of draft precedent Orders available on disc as well was in the book itself is of enormous assistance. The book is divided into six parts with a comprehensive index. Part II of the book will be of enormous use to family lawyers. In the foreword to the particularly welcomes this section of the book. "This branch of the law has been growing in volume and complexity. Because it involves this delicate area of human relationships it is a demanding and difficult area of law for those who practise in it". Part I of the book also contains precedents for various forms of injunctions. There appears to be some rule of nature which dictates that emergencies arise on Friday book, Mr Justice Frank Spain, President of the Circuit Court,

More than a century ago Alexis de

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