ga ette

Law Society Gazette | gazette.ie Jan/Feb 2017
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
1
FINDING THE ANSWER
In some ways, it seems like yesterday. In
others, it’s a lifetime ago. In 1999 (the
last century!), my daughter Valerie was
only a week old when I was elected to
the Law Society Council. My son Paul
– now 5ft 8in and taller than my wife
Fidelma – was still three years away from his
own entry into the world.
It’s been a long journey to this point, but I
wasn’t always part of the furniture. There was
a time when I asked the question that many
solicitors pose: ‘What does the Law Society do
for us?’
I made the decision to find out. This column
is far too short for a comprehensive answer to
that rather esoteric question, but suffice it to say
the result was that I kept coming back for more.
It has become clear to me over years of
interaction with colleagues, however, that many
people have not yet found the answer. There
seems to be a perception that, among larger
firms, we exist to assist smaller practices – and
it’s often the case that smaller firms feel that the
opposite applies.
Ever-evolving
The truth of the matter is that we are an everevolving
profession with increasingly diverse
requirements. As of last year, 23% of the
practising certificates issued were to solicitors
in the largest 20 firms. A total of 18% of the
profession practise outside of the traditional law
firm model – either in-house (15%) or in the
public sector (3%). Marrying the needs of this
very large section of the solicitors’ profession
with the remaining percentage who work in
medium or smaller firms is a major challenge,
but one we are determined to meet.
I firmly believe that the Law Society has a
role to play in the life of all solicitors, and it is
our job to communicate this effectively. Over the
course of the next year, I hope to meet as many of
you as possible and listen to what you want from
us. My door is never closed and my email (stuart.
gilhooly@hjward.ie or president@lawsociety.ie)
is always on.
I am the average solicitor from a relatively
small suburban firm and can identify with the
problems that most of us face on a day-to-day
basis. I pay insurance, practising certificate fees,
do CPD, and worry about keeping clients happy
in the same way as you do.
Stressful
It is a privilege to be a solicitor, but that doesn’t
mean it’s not stressful – it often is, and we
recognise that. We are here to help and, please,
never be afraid to ask.
As I write this, I’m over ten weeks into
the role and it’s been more hectic than I could
have imagined. The cyclical insurance crisis has
consumed the media and politicians for much of
this period but, unlike 2002, when similar price
hikes resulted in the establishment of the Personal
Injuries Assessment Board, this time the focus has
shifted to the dubious behaviour of the insurance
industry.
As usual, they attempted to shift the blame to
lawyers and the courts but, like the boy who cried
IT’S NOT DONALD TRUMP, BUT
THERE’S LOTS GOING ON!
wolf, they did it once too often. We attended the
Oireachtas Finance Committee and the working
group established by Minister Eoghan Murphy
and told them what was really happening.
The subsequent reports of both of these
bodies recognised the reality that claims and
legal costs have played practically no role in the
increase in insurance premiums (see p11).
We are continuing to cooperate with the
working group and will be seeking a presence
on the newly established Personal Injuries
Commission.
This is just one example of the many projects
underway this year. Finally, if you are on Twitter,
give me a follow at @LSIPresident. It’s not
Donald Trump, but there’s lots going on!
STUART GILHOOLY,
PRESIDENT