The Gazette 1996

OCTOBER 1996

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P R E S I D E N T ' S

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T h e r e is n o d o u bt that law a nd o r d er is h i gh on the a g e n da in e v e r y b o d y 's m i n d a nd the r e c e nt p r o t e s ts in D u b l in a g a i n st d r u g p u s h e rs is t a n g i b le p r o of of the real c o n c e r ns felt by r e s i d e n ts of t h o se a r e as m o st a f f e c t ed by d r u g p u s h i ng w i th the p r e s e nt state of a f f a i r s. T h e y feel - rightly or w r o n g ly - that the f o r c es of l aw a nd o r d er are not a p p l y i ng t h e m s e l v es in s u f f i c i e nt n u m b e r s or w i th s u f f i c i e nt r i g o ur to the p r o b l e m, a n d w h i le t h e re c o u ld be m a n y valid r e a s o ns w h y this is so, it is h o p e d that the p r o t e s ts t h e m s e l v es will b r i ng a b o ut i n c r e a s ed v i g i l a n ce on the part of t h o se e m p o w e r ed to e n f o r ce the l aw a nd h o p e f u l ly a l so e n s u re that this h i d e o us f e s t e r i ng c r i me of d r u g p u s h i ng is e l i m i n a t e d. T h e n e w legislation on m o n e y l a u n d e r i ng is a l so to be w e l c o m e d, d e s p i te the S o c i e t y 's r e s e r v a t i o ns w i th r e g a rd to t he p r o p o s ed i m p l e m e n t a t i on of this l e g i s l a t i o n. T h e i n v e s t i g a t i on into f r a u d u l e nt d o le c l a i ms will h o p e f u l ly b r i ng a b o ut p o s i t i ve r e s u l ts a n d, yet a g a i n, o n e m u s t c o m m e n t on t he o p e n illegal sale of c i g a r e t t es a nd t o b a c co in the streets of D u b l i n. T h i s in itself c o n s t i t u t es a f r a u d o n e v e ry c i t i z en a nd t h o se w h o s u p p o rt t he illegal activities w h e t h er as seller or b u y e r s h o u ld r e m e m b er this.

L a w S c h o ol h a v e n ot m e t w i th u n i v e r s al a p p r o v a l.

It is r e f r e s h i ng to h e ar a c t i ve d i s c u s s i on on the p r o p o s a ls a n d h o p e f u l ly at the e n d of the d a y the ma t t er will be r e s o l v ed to the benefit of t h o se w h o will b e c o me m e m b e r s of the p r o f e s s i on in t he f u t u r e. S i n ce I last w r o te to y o u, I h a v e r e p r e s e n t ed the S o c i e ty at b o th the Am e r i c an B a r A s s o c i a t i on M e e t i ng a nd t he C a n a d i an L a w C o n f e r e n c e. O n b o th o c c a s i o ns it w a s i n t e r e s t i ng to n o te that t h o u gh t he n u m b e rs i n v o l v ed in e a ch a r ea are s u b s t a n t i a l ly g r e a t er t h an t h o se in I r e l a n d, the p r o b l e ms w h i c h r e m a in to b e d e a lt w i th a re c o m m o n to all c o u n t r i e s. T h e o v e r - s u p p ly of l a w y e r s, mu l t i - d i s c i p l i n a ry p r a c t i c e s, c o m p u t e r i s a t i o n, e t h i c al s t a n d a r ds - all b e c o m e p o i n ts of d i s c u s s i on a n d n o - o ne s e e m s to h a v e a s i m p le s o l u t i o n. E t h i c al s t a n d a r ds are i m p o r t a nt if t he p r o f e s s i on is to retain the r e s p e ct a nd c o n f i d e n ce of t he p u b l i c, a n d a ny l o w e r i ng of s u ch s t a n d a r ds is to b e d e p l o r e d. W e s h o u ld n e v er sell o u r s e l v es short f or t he s a ke of a q u i ck r e t u r n, a n d it b e h o v es e v e ry m e m b e r of the p r o f e s s i on to act r e s p o n s i b ly at all t i m es a nd to u p h o ld the l o ng t r a d i t i on of the p r o f e s s i o n. In that w a y w e will retain the r e s p e ct of t h o se w e s e r ve a nd i n d e ed t h o se w h o w o u l d s e ek to d e n i g r a te the p r o f e s s i on also. •

Andrew F. Smyth

N o w that the v a c a t i on p e r i od h as e n d e d, o n e c an sit b a ck a nd recall the p l e a s a nt t i m es s p e nt d u r i ng the S u m m e r m o n t h s a n d, at t he s a me t i me, n o te the v o l u me of m o v e m e nt in t he c o u r t s. F or t he first t i me e v e r, the C i r c u it a n d H i g h C o u r t h a v e b e e n sitting r e g u l a r ly d u r i ng the m o n t h of S e p t e m b er a nd c l e a r ly the G o v e r n m e n t, w i th t he f u ll s u p p o rt of t he J u d i c i a r y, is g e t t i ng to g r i ps w i th t he b a c k l og of c a s es a n d e n d e a v o u r i ng to b r i ng a b o ut a s i g n i f i c a nt d e c r e a se in this b a c k l o g. T h i s is to be a p p l a u d e d, a nd all t h o se c o n c e r n ed are d u e a s i n c e re v o te of t h a n k s, not o n ly f r om the p r o f e s s i on b ut a l so f r o m the p u b l ic at large.

O n the e d u c a t i on e n d, it is c l e ar that the p r o p o s a ls put f o r w a rd in relation to the

The Will Aid Charities, Gorta, Action Aid Ireland, Oxfam in Ireland and Rehab Foundation, wish to thank all Solicitors and Bar Associations who participated in Will Aid during February 1996. Your generous contributions are what made Will Aid a great success this year.

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