The Gazette 1995

GAZETTE

MAY/JUNE 1995

particular seating will be reached".

members not to comply with Section 153. "This is based on a strong legal opinion which appears to be consistent with the advise which Dermot Gleeson has given to the Government," the article stated. The Sunday Independent stated on 7 May "Mr Quinn given the widespread opposition of the various professional bodies to the Section and a warning from the Law Society that its provisions could be unconstitutional, would be well-advised to think again. He should withdraw the Section 153 provision until he can produce a better and more widely acceptable alternative." On 10 May the Law Society made a submission to the Dail Committee on the Finance Bill, (see text at pi39) The Evening Press reported that "history was made today when the Law Society became the first outside body to make its submission to the Dail Committee on the Finance Bill." Marketplace featured a report that evening on May 10 on S.l53 of the Finance Bill and an interview was given by Ken Murphy. It reported on the submission made by the Law Society and the other professional organisations. The submissions to the Dail Committee were also featured on Oireachtas Report. On 12 May an article written by Ken Murphy was published in the Irish Times. The On 17 May amendments to the Fiance Bill were published. Section 153 was replaced by S . l 72 which does not require solicitors to report clients. A statement from the Law Society which welcomed the changes was issued to RTE which was covered on 9 o'clock TV news. The following day in the Irish Times , it was reported that "Quinn exempts solicitors from tax evasion clause" and in the Irish Press that "lawyers let off in Finance Bill". The Irish Independent reported that "The Law Society gave the new provision a "cautious welcome" but said that its primary concern - that a citizen's fundamental right to avoid headline read "Opposition to Section 153 is an issue of civil liberties for solicitors."

Solicitors For Judicial Posts

In an article published on the front page of the Evening Press on 1 May 1995, headlines reading "Legal Limbo for Victims". The text of the article dealt with the problem of court delays. The article written by Chris Macey quoted figures provided by the Law Society as regards the amount of time which cases are taking in the High Court and the Circuit Court. In the Irish Independent on 6 May 1995, there was an article with a headline: "Courts need Independent Budget - Judge". The article was written by John Maddock and it stated that Judge Denham from the Supreme Court had said that the courts and judiciary should have their own modern management infrastructure An article was published in Business and Finance on 13 April 1995 with the heading "Solicitors Reject Investment Bill." The article stated that the Law Society is up in arms over plans to introduce a new requirement that solicitors report to the authorities any financial transaction carried out on behalf of a client. The article stated that the new duty, will greatly increase the administrative burden borne by solicitors while it could cost the Law Society between £300,000 and £400,000 a year. The article stated that: "it is proposed that the new Investment Intermediaries Bill, prompted by the need to control the activities of rogue brokers and other intermediaries, should also be applied to solicitors and accountants. Ken Murphy, Director General, pointed out in the article that the solicitors profession is already unique in having a large Compensation Fund available to clients who have suffered financial loss at the hands of the solicitors. Inclusion of solicitors in the Investment Intermediaries Bill was strongly opposed by the Law Society. and budget independent of the Department of Justice. It was reported in the Sunday Business Post on 20 May that more judges are to be appointed. Investment Intermediaries Bill

In the Irish Independent on 8 April, there was an article published with the headline "Solicitor's Call for Judicial Posts" by Frank Carron. The article stated that solicitors should be considered for appointments to all courts, including the High Court and Supreme Court, the President of the Law Society said last night. The article quoted extensively from the press release issued on the day of the parchment ceremony. The article stated that: "the Law Society President pointed out that two years ago, Mr. Justice Michael Sachs, a former solicitor, was appointed a High Court Judge in Britain. In 1991, legislation was passed there to end the bars monopoly for senior judicial post. There was no logical reason why a solicitor should not be considered for judicial appointments to all courts here, he added". The Sunday Business Post on 9 April 1995 also carried extracts from the press release. The heading stated "Bar Monopoly Criticised". The article went on to say that the President of the Law Society, Patrick Glynn had called for an end to the monopoly endured by In the Irish Independent of 5 April 1995 as a result of a media enquiry to the Law Society, an article was printed headed "Huge Court Backlog Leads to 'Appalling' Delays." The article was written by Stephen O'Brien and stated that family law cases in the Circuit Courts are facing delays of up to three years before they are heard while similar hold-ups await civil actions in the High Court, new figures gathered by the Independent have revealed. The article stated that the Law Society last night urged the Government to appoint more Judges of both Circuit and High Court level to clear the logjam of justice. The article stated that Law Society President, Patrick Glynn said: "The situation in the Circuit Court in relation to family law cases is very serious. Outside of Dublin, no more than one tenth of cases listed in any members of the Bar in seeking appointments as Judges to the Superior Courts." Court Delays

self-incrimination - was being respected in the new section."

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