The new head of the Law Society has delivered an uncompromising defence of the profession against "unjustified criticism" in response to the revelations about solicitors Michael Lynn and Thomas Byrne, whose practices have been closed down in recent weeks. Paul Cullenreports.
Newly elected president of the society James MacGuill said solicitors had been the subject of false, damaging, hostile and unfair criticism, after news of the debts incurred by Mr Lynn and Mr Byrne emerged.
Mr MacGuill said the profession had not been given sufficient credit for reforms it had introduced but was unable to tell the public about its successes because of the rules of client confidentiality.
Speaking at a parchment ceremony to welcome 70 new solicitors into the profession, he refused to comment about the Lynn and Byrne cases because they were being investigated by the society and were before the courts.
"As a result, we have seen and heard media reports . . . which are based on incomplete information from which incorrect and damaging conclusions are drawn," he said.
It was very frustrating for the society not to be able to reply to and rebut "false and damaging" reports in public about past investigations and decisions of the solicitors' disciplinary tribunal.
"Why do we not comment when it would be in our own interest to do so? We remain silent because there is something more important at stake than our own interest in today's main news story - because justice and fair procedures require that we must not comment," said Mr MacGuill.
"We do not comment because we are not prepared to compromise the rights to justice of any individual . . . But I tell you, the inability to respond to florid, fundamentally incorrect and misleading reports, damaging to the reputation of the Law Society and of the profession is, very, very frustrating."
Mr MacGuill, who did not spell out the matters he claimed were inaccurately reported, insisted the integrity of the profession is as great today as it had been throughout its history.
It was oversimplistic to state that solicitors practised self-regulation, he claimed. The profession was regulated by the President of the High Court, who appointed a disciplinary tribunal which was independent of the society. The tribunal comprises 20 solicitor members and 10 lay people.
Mr MacGuill said the society supported the proposal to create a legal services ombudsman to protect the public "provided such measure do not undermine core principles" of confidentiality and integrity.