Solicitors would support legislation to ban any advertising that encourages people to make personal injuries claims, the President of the Law Society has said.
Mr Laurence Shields said such a ban, however, should apply to everyone and not just solicitors. This is understood to mean a small number of people, not lawyers, who advise in such cases, such as accident claims consultants.
The society, which represents solicitors, had previously said it objected to the so-called "ambulance-chasing" type of advertisements. Yesterday's decision, however, takes this a step further to include all personal injuries advertising.
Mr Shields said the society would also support Government action to ban advertising in "sensitive locations" such as hospitals, clinics, doctors' surgeries or other places frequented by people who might have suffered a personal injury, he added.
Speaking at a graduation ceremony for 74 solicitors yesterday, he said: "The council of the Law Society today indicated its support for any Government measure designed to ban advertising which solicits, promotes or encourages any person making a claim for damages for personal injury, provided such a ban is applied to everyone and not just solicitors.".
Mr Shields called on the Minister for Defence, Mr Smith, to give the Law Society, as a matter of urgency, any evidence he may have of misconduct by solicitors so it could investigate the allegations immediately.
"The society must be given the opportunity to examine these claims and investigate the matter and not be subject to unsubstantiated claims and rumours.
"If these are not substantiated by the Minister [for Defence] he should cease to make them immediately," he said.
The director-general of the Law Society, Mr Ken Murphy, said most members found personal injury advertising distasteful. However, they believed that not all advertising by solicitors should be banned, as it was a competitors' market.