Law Society rejects calls for increased regulation

SOME 10,000 solicitors are now registered in Ireland, the Law Society revealed yesterday, while defending competition in the legal profession.

The number of people entering the profession has doubled in recent years, said the society’s director general Ken Murphy.

Mr Murphy was speaking at a conference on competition in the legal profession, responding to a highly critical Competition Authority report.

The report in December said the legal profession was riddled with restrictive practices and needed reform. It said the Law Society and Bar Council needed to be overseen by an independent regulatory commission. It suggested restrictions, like a monopoly enjoyed by the legal schools, resulted in high fees for consumers. Furthermore, a near blanket ban on barristers advertising makes it difficult for consumers to access them without going through solicitors, it added.

Mr Murphy though insisted yesterday the Competition Authority’s report was slim, repetitive and driven by ideology.

“Numbers entering the profession are growing enormously,” he insisted.

The Law Society has, for the first time, this year more than 10,000 solicitors on its roll.

Over 7,500 of these are practising. In addition, there are now 2,200 law firms nationwide, four of whom have more than 150 solicitors on their books.

On top of the large numbers registered, there has been a 90% increase in those entering the profession after training. In 2003, 356 solicitors entered the legal profession. This rose to just below 700 last year.

Earlier, the Competition Authority’s director of advocacy Declan Purcell warned the legal profession must be independently monitored like doctors are through the Medical Council and banks are by the Financial Regulator.

Mr Purcell added that regulatory changes, already seen in Britain, were inevitable in the profession.

Chairwoman of the National Consumer Agency Ann Fitzgerald asked: “What is so unique about the legal profession that they should be exempt from being overseen by an independent body?

“I’m amazed by the potential resistance to this within the legal profession.”