Group to picket PDs over alleged corruption in legal profession
Victims of the Legal Profession Society (VLPS) say they plan a peaceful protest at the Progressive Democrats’ annual conference in Limerick tomorrow.
A website suggests the group has 500 members and is growing rapidly.
The group was set up in August 2001 to expose “immoral and unethical conduct” by lawyers.
Among alleged wrongdoing by lawyers it catalogues the removal of monies from trust accounts without the client’s knowledge and the altering and distorting of contracts and wills.
“The VLPS will have a booklet of documented evidence on the extent of the corruption and what must be said and done if the many thousands of victims are ever to receive justice,” the website says.
Law Society director Ken Murphy challenged the people behind the website (www.crookedlawyers.com), which is foreign-based, to declare their identity and to establish the website in Ireland.
“If they can stand over and justify the outrageous allegations they make then I invite them to do so.
“I’ve seen the website and it’s more interested in defamation than information.
“I’ve generally taken the view of not commenting on it,” said Mr Murphy.
The Law Society’s own website says: “The vast majority of solicitors provide good and expert service to their clients, maintain high standards of efficiency, courtesy and conduct their practices with the utmost integrity.
“Regrettably, a tiny minority of solicitors do not. The Law Society of Ireland as the regulatory body for solicitors can help you if you think you have a complaint about a solicitor.”
More than 145 complaints were made to the Law Society arising out of allegations of overcharging by solicitors who represented Church abuse victims seeking compensation from the Residential Institution Redress Board.
Complaints resulted in 11 firms of solicitors being referred to the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal.
The tribunal has extensive powers of sanction against solicitors found guilty of misconduct.
