Winter 2016 dsba.ie
From the Editor
W
elcome to the Winter edition of the Parchment, the last for 2016. It has been a huge year for the profession with the arrival of the new Legal Services Regulatory Authority. It is too early to assess the changing legal landscape but 2017 should see the Authority bedding down after its recent establishment. The revised, or ‘new’ Book of Quantum is still hot off the press and we feature two articles about its publication which will impact on our plaintiff and indeed defendant clients. The previous Book was over 12 years old and was in dire need of updating, so its arrival is most welcome. The new Book considers significantly more injuries than before and has more comprehensive detail. The new Book is there to assist our Judiciary in deciding the level of damages to be awarded in a case. But as before, all cases will continue to be individually assessed by the Court. In this edition, we put the spotlight on Josepha Madigan T.D. and colleagues Simon McAleese and Darragh Mackin and there are a host of other articles
that will update you on different areas of the law. Our new DSBA President has hit the ground running and Aine Hynes promises to have a busy and event-filled year ahead. There are many issues facing the profession and the silent killer is the continuing number of our legal colleagues who have taken their own lives. Suicide in the legal profession is sadly prevalent with 2016 being a particularly tragic year. We must look out for each other. A line in a song from my native County Mayo was never more fitting “Act each as a brother and help one another” in these demanding and often stressful times. Can I wish you and your loved ones a peaceful and relaxing Christmas and here’s to a successful and healthy 2017 for one and all.
John Geary jvgeary@gmail.com
DSBA COUNCIL 2016/2017
ROBERT RYAN DSBA Vice President
GREG RYAN Treasurer Chair - Commercial Law Committee
ELAINE GIVEN Honorary Secretary
TONY O’SULLIVAN Programmes Director
JOSEPH O’MALLEY Chairman of the Litigation Commitee
DIEGO GALLAGHER Chair - IP and Technology Committee
SUSAN MARTIN Chair of Family Law Committee
JOHN O’MALLEY
MATTHEW KENNY
NIALL CAWLEY
LAURA HORAN Chair of Younger Members’ Committee
PAUL RYAN Chair of In House Committee
JOAN DORAN
KILLIAN O’REILLY
PUBLISHED BY The Dublin Solicitors’ Bar Association, 1st Floor, 54 Dawson Street, Dublin 2.
The DSBA, its contributors and publisher do not accept any responsibility for loss or damage suffered as a result of the material contained in the Parchment.
of an advertisement in the Parchment does not necessarily signify official approval by the DSBA, and although every effort is made to ensure the correctness of advertisements, readers are advised that the association cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of statements made or the quality of the goods, services and courses advertised. All prices are correct at
time of going to press. Views expressed are not necessarily those of the DSBA or the publisher. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without prior written permission from the publishers.
AINE HYNES DSBA President
EDITOR John Geary PARCHMENT COMMITTEE Julie Doyle Stuart Gilhooly Áine Hynes Geraldine Kelly Killian Morris Gerry O’Connell Kevin O’Higgins Joe O’Malley Keith Walsh COPYRIGHT The Dublin Solicitors’ Bar Association
DSBA OFFICE, T: 01 670 6089 F: 01 670 6090 E: maura@dsba.ie DX 212011 W: www.dsba.ie ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES Donal McDonald T: 01 707 6036
DISCLAIMER Advertisements are accepted at the discretion of the magazine which reserves the right to alter or refuse to publish any item submitted. Publication
WHEN YOU HAVE FINISHED WITH THIS MAGAZINE PLEASE RECYCLE IT.
the Parchment 1
001_Parchment_Winter_2016.indd 1
12/12/2016 11:46 a.m.