Talk:Law Society of Ireland

2011 post
Notes on List: Auditors of the Solicitors' Apprentices Debating Society from 2002-2010 need to be added.
 * The above comment was made by 137.191.236.34 underneath the List of Auditors of the Solicitors' Apprentices Debating Society since 1884. I have moved it to the talk page. ConconJondor (talk) 16:01, 11 January 2011 (UTC)

Page review:
I work for the Law Society and don't want to insert or edit information on this page for COI reasons, so I would appreciate if other editors would take a closer look at how this page could be improved, for example Many thanks. FriendlyuserCP (talk) 16:34, 16 May 2013 (UTC)
 * The council chamber image is from a palace in Vietnam - I can supply an image but it's not a free-use image,
 * some references cannot be verified eg ref 1 and ref 8,
 * the heading Recent Developments lists items going back to 2005 so it might make more sense if re-named,
 * the items listed under Recent Developments are from 2005 to date but are not in date order
 * editors might might have suggestions for adding other references and content to add to and balance some of the content provided or I could make some suggestions for your review.
 * Please refer to User talk:Ww2censor for some editing done so far and other comments. ww2censor (talk) 22:58, 26 August 2013 (UTC)
 * Thanks for your help Ww2censor. Yes the building was renovated in the 70's and opened in 1978. We have compiled some information regarding background and history with references below for review. One image of the building is enough and we will source a logo image for use. Do we need any image of the council room? We have some other images to submit to wikipedia commons such as the first president, royal charter, opening in 1978, etc - they will follow shortly. I think recent developments might be better named 'In the News' and I've submitted more suggestions for that section under More Information below. FriendlyuserCP (talk) 18:06, 18 September 2013 (UTC)

More information:
History of the Society - Law Society of Ireland was established on 24th June 1830 with premises at Inns Quay, Dublin. In November 1830, the committee of the Society submitted a memorial to the benchers as to the ‘necessity and propriety’ of erecting chambers for the use of solicitors with the funds that solicitors had been levied to pay to King’s Inns over the years. (

The committee requested that the hall and chambers for the use of solicitors should be erected away from the King’s Inns, and apartments in the Four Courts were allotted by the King’s Inns to solicitors in May 1841. However, the adequacy of that accommodation at the Four Courts was to be a bone of contention between the Society and the benchers for 30 years. The first president was elected in 1842 - Josiah Dunn - image to be be uploaded to Wikipedia Commons.

In accordance with the Supreme Court of Judicature Act (Ireland) 1877, anyone admitted as solicitors or attorneys were, from then on, to be referred to as solicitors of the Court of Judicature (although the title of attorney lives on in the designation of the chief law officer of the State as the Attorney General).

Incorporation by Royal Charter - The Law Society was incorporated by royal charter, dated 5th April 1852. The charter referred to founding “an institution for facilitating the acquisition of legal knowledge”, and for the better and more convenient discharging of professional duties of attorneys and solicitors.

The principal events with which the Law Society was concerned on behalf of solicitors in the second half of the 19th century were:

·	The inauguration of a scheme for the education of apprentices, ·	The independence of the solicitors’ profession from the King’s Inns, and ·	The achievement of an increasing degree of self-government and recognition of its position as the representative and regulatory body for solicitors in Ireland, culminating in the Solicitors (Ireland) Act 1898.

At the end of the 19th century, the legal functions of the Law Society were substantially increased by the Solicitors (Ireland) Act 1898, which repealed the act of 1866 and transferred control of education and important disciplinary functions from the direct supervision of the judges to that of the Society. In 1888, the constitution of the Council of the Society was changed by supplemental charter, which provided that the Northern Law Society and Southern Law Association would each be entitled to appoint members to the Council. This was further changed in 1960, when provision was made for the appointment to the Council of three members of the Dublin Solicitors’ Bar Association Council.

Acquiring Blackhall Place By the middle of the 1960s, the solicitors’ buildings at the Four Courts were proving inadequate for the expanding activities of the Society and outside premises were used for lectures for students. A special committee recommended the purchase of the King’s Hospital, Blackhall Place, described by renowned architect, Maurice Craig, as “one of the most beautiful and, in its way, original” of Dublin’s major buildings.

Council member of the Law Society, Peter Prentice, proposed a motion at a special meeting of the Council on 3rd July 1968 (seconded by John Jermyn) that the Society purchase the King’s Hospital for the sum of IR£105,000. The motion was carried unanimously and a contract was subsequently executed.

An Taoiseach, Jack Lynch, performed the official opening ceremony of the new headquarters on Wednesday 14th June 1978.

Solicitors as judges The Society pressed for many years for a change in the law so as to permit the appointment of solicitors in the Circuit Court and the High Court. The Courts and Court Officers Act 1995 allowed for the appointment of solicitors as judges to the Circuit Court.

In July 1996, the government announced the appointment of solicitors John F Buckley, Frank O’Donnell and Michael White as judges of the Circuit Court – the first such appointments in the history of the State.

The Courts and Court Officers Act 2002 provided that a person shall be qualified for appointment as a judge of the Supreme Court and the High Court if he or she is, for the time being, a practising barrister or practising solicitor of not less than 12 years’ standing.: Shortly after its enactment, Michael Peart became the first practising solicitor to be appointed a judge of the High Court.

Education  A new Law School, built on premises adjoining the existing Blackhall Place headquarters, was officially opened by President Mary McAleese on 2nd October 2000. The new library at Blackhall Place was also opened by President McAleese on the same day.

In the News Law Society to send out undercover court agents

Compensation costs hit €4.7m

Fugitive solicitor Michael Lynn arrested in Brazil

Shatter bows to fears over political control of new legal watchdog

Shatter in talks over ‘specialist’ insolvency judges

Legal eagles soar around Blackhall for Calcutta Run

Accountants told not to sign confidentiality agreements with AIB

Costs will fall in ‘legal revolution’

Failed professions have ‘lost right to self-regulate’ - expert

Perrin may be struck off as files released

Attorney General in talks with senior judges to quell dispute

Law Society damages fund incurs €2.24m loss

FriendlyuserCP (talk) 18:06, 18 September 2013 (UTC)

One suggested source
First, it is good to see this page getting some attention. I have made a few limited edits in the past but refrained from doing very much lest I be accused of COI editing.

Regarding the functions of the Law Society, FLAC have a page which appears to be a suitable reference: |here

I am having difficulty finding anything readily available that is not published by the Law Society itself that sets out the structure of the Society but will keep looking. FrankFlanagan (talk) 22:15, 27 August 2013 (UTC)

Request for discussion
Would appreciate some input from experienced editors regarding the section titled 'Recent Developments' which is predominantly negative and not in line with the the page's Neutral POV, also many of the items are not recent so the title is misleading. Web-lawsoc (talk) 15:08, 28 July 2015 (UTC)
 * It would seem reasonable to remove it, along with the "In the News" section. Not because of the tone of the sections but to avoid recentism. . . Mean as custard (talk) 15:44, 28 July 2015 (UTC)
 * ok I'll do that, thanks for your help. Web-lawsoc (talk) 15:56, 28 July 2015 (UTC)