The Gazette 1994

GAZETTE

N E W S

OCTOBER 1994

L u n a t i c L a w y e r s Ra i se £ 1 1 , 0 0 0 A group of self-styled "lunatic lawyers" cycled from the Northmost Lifeboat Station in Buncrana to Baltimore Lifeboat Station in West This was not the first outing of the Lunatic Lawyers Cycling Club. In

C o n c e r n a b o u t d r a f t P D f o r m s At the meeting of the Council of the Society on 16 September concern was expressed about the content and format of a new draft particulars delivered forms which the Revenue Commissioners intend to promulgate. The Revenue Commissioners have sought the views of the Society concerning the proposed new PD form which would contain the following features:

1989 the "lunatics" cycled from Malin to Mizen head in aid of the Hospice Foundation and in 1990 a three-day cycle was undertaken for the Haemophilia Society. This year's lunatics were: Solicitors Brendan Walsh, Vivian Matthews and Frank Lanigan; Ercus Stewart SC and Cormac O 'Dualachain BL; Accountant James Barry and Walter Coleman of Coleman Cycles Carlow who was Chef d'Equipe. All donations would be gratefully accepted and may be sent to: Frank Lanigan, Court Place, Carlow. • Annual Gene r al Me e t i ng The Annual General Meeting of the Society will take place on 24 November at 6.30 p.m. in the Presidents' Hall at Blackhall Place. Prior to the AGM all members of the Society will receive a notice of the meeting, agenda, and detailed minutes of the Half-yearly General Meeting of the Society held on 12 May last, along with a copy of the Annual Report 1993/94 and the financial statements of the Society to 31 December 1993. Annual Con f e r ence 1 9 95 The dates of Thursday 11 May to Sunday 14 May have been set for the 1995 Annual Conference of the Society which will take place in the five star Hotel Europe, Killarney, set in the spectacular surroundings of the Killarney lakes. Full details of the conference and the various accommodation packages available to delegates will be published in a brochure which will be distributed to all members of the Society next January. •

Cork - a distance of 345 miles - in aid of the Lifeboat Service in Ireland, the Solicitors Benevolent Association and the Bar Benevolent Association. The three-day cycle which took place from 25 - 27 August, (average daily mileage: 115 miles, average speed: 14.9 mph) raised over £11,000 which will be split between the three charities. Donations from members of the profession are still welcome and every donor of £50 or more will participate in a draw for a number of valuable prizes, including a £300 cash prize, weekends for two, or £250 worth of books. C o u n c i l E l e c t i o ns 1994/5 The closing date for nominations for election as a member of the Law Society Council is Friday October 28. A candidate must be nominated by two members of the Society and the nomination form must be returned to the Director General of the Society, Noel Ryan, by that date. Ballot papers for the 1994/5 election will be distributed to members of the Society by 7 November and must be returned to the Society by Thursday 17 November 1994. At the Half-yearly General Meeting of the Society on 12 May 1994, Walter Beatty, Laurence Branigan, Terence Dixon, Andrew Donnelly, Eamonn Hall, John Maher, Adrian O 'Gorman, Donal O'Hagan, Hugh O'Neill, Peter Prentice, Michael A Staines, John Reidy, Colm Price, William Young and Noel Ryan, Director General, were appointed scrutineers for the Council ballot. • Counting of the ballot papers will take place on 18 November.

• extend the PD requirement to include voluntary dispositions

• require a tax reference number for each of the parties to the instrument

• require a broad description of the property to be transferred.

Council members objected in principle to a solicitor having to sign the forms when the matters concerned had nothing to do with his or her own client. Council members said that the Revenue, in effect, were imposing additional costs on clients solely for the purposes of gathering information. It was also noted that the forms were not suitable for photocopying and were not computer-friendly. The Chairman of the Taxation Committee, John Fish, informed the Council that the Committee would be making representations to the Revenue Commissioners on these matters and would also propose that a solicitor for a vendor should only be responsible for returning the vendor's details and likewise a solicitor acting for a purchaser would be responsible only for details relating to the purchaser. •

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