CHEAPER LAW

Waikato Times, Volume 113, Issue 18877, 22 February 1933, Page 9

CHEAPER LAW

THE PROFESSION’S PART

■ v !’• POSITION IN ENGLAND. In his presidential address at the ' annual provincial meeting of the English Law Society Mr G. E. Barry, the president, referred to the history of the Law Society and said that although there had been no compulsion whatever on members of the profession to join, yet out of 15,000 lawyers who Look out practising certificates 10,328 were members of the society. Examinations were first instituted under . Rules of Court in 1830, and were en:rusted to the control of the Law Society in 1877. Mr Barry then referred to the work done for the profession by the society and the council, and submitted that it was the duty ol' every •member of the .... profession to belong to the society. I’ct if membership were compulsory it tvould give the society more effective control over the conduct of solicitors than they had at present. It would make the council more effectively representative of the whole body of solicitors (says the Morning Post). It was too early to know whether the new rules on costs of litigation would speed up and cheapen litigation. If, as he hoped, the rules succeeded in this, then the question of extending them to a further class of action and to district registries generally would no doubt be considered. Another suggestion that had often been made with a view to facilitating and cheapening litigation was to give unlimited jurisdiction to the county courts. Although he thought that the jurisdiction should be extended lie considered the time was not yet ripe l'or unlimited jurisdiction being given. They ought, he thought, to concentrate on doing what they could to popularise. cheapen and expedite the procedure of the High Court. As to other means of cheapening litigation, the two-thirds rule in respect of counsels’ fees had recently been modified in cases where the leader’s fee was over 150 guineas, but (lie council did not think that went far enough, as it only affected a comparatively small number of cases. As a profession, they had made their contribution to lessening the expense not only of litigation, but legal metiers generally, including the cost of conveyancing. They had voluntarily agreed that the 33 i per cent, authorised to be added to profit costs should be reduced to 25 per cent, in litigious matters and to 20 per cent, in other matters. Concluding, the president said: “Commercial business and methods have changed in a remarkable manner in recent years, and necessarily so, and we lawyers have had to adapt ourselves to those changes. 1 lie more progressive we arc in dealing with matters that come before us the more successful I am convinced we shall he-

“Let us take a broad view and a long view of matters affecting our profession. We are officers of the court and servants of the public, and 1 can safely say that the trust reposed in us has been faithfully discharged, and it will always be our endeavour to justify the confidence reposed in us. “Above all, let us do all we can io maintain and enhance the honour and integrity of the profession to which vve belong.”