Sir, - I refer to views expressed recently by Mr Lawrence Shields, president of The Law Society, about advertising by solicitors.
If, as Mr Shields is reported as saying, most solicitors found advertising targeting Army deafness "distasteful", why did the Law Society, as the solicitors' governing body, not take disciplinary measures from the outset to stop that "distasteful" conduct which is certainly not in keeping with the guidelines on conduct laid down by The Law Society for its members? Are his comments at this late stage merely a response to public disquiet and disgust and to the attention the media have justifiably brought to bear on the blatant soliciting?
However, Mr Shields's comment that "most lawyers would be happy to see the Government review" the legislation allowing lawyers to advertise is at least a step in the right direction. I raised this point during a recent private meeting with Michael Smith, Minister for Defence, and I followed it up with a letter to An Taoiseach and other interested TDs calling for a complete ban on advertising by solicitors.
My reason is simple. I have been campaigning for some time now to bring some sanity to the huge legal fees being paid out by the State on foot of the Army deafness issue. As a practising audiologist for 30 years, I hold the view that the relentless advertising campaign by solicitors has been the single biggest factor in the escalating number of claims. It amounts to soliciting, tempting, enticing and exploiting. All this goes way beyond mere advertising. I don't believe that when legislation was brought in some years ago allowing solicitors to advertise, it was intended that it be abused in this fashion.
Consequently, this has made it much more difficult for the Government to put in place a scheme to deal with the unprecedented number of claims. No one could have foreseen such an avalanche. The Minister, Mr Smith, who is most concerned about the entire matter, has now applied himself to tackling the overall problem.
My objection to advertising by solicitors goes deeper than the Army deafness advertising. If lawyers are not stopped from advertising, where will it end? It is already becoming a direct marketing campaign. Every area of public and private life can be targeted. It could turn into an epidemic by lawyers for their own ends and could ultimately lead to the destruction of the very fabric of our society, where nothing would be sacred. It is as serious as that.
Finally, I am delighted that since my meeting with Mr Michael Smith, he has taken the question of advertising by solicitors on board, and I am reassured by his statement in the Dail on December 17th that the Government is now considering a ban on advertising by solicitors. I am now publicly asking the Government to bring in legislation banning such advertising as a matter of urgency. - Yours, etc.,
Sean Hussey,
Capel Street, Dublin 7.