The committee supports members in relation to alternative dispute resolution (ADR) and promotes mediation, arbitration, and other ADR methods.

The committee supports members in relation to alternative dispute resolution (ADR) and promotes mediation, arbitration, and other ADR methods. During 2024, we updated the Law Society’s ADR Guide as a key resource for practitioners. The guide provides a practical summary of the wide range of dispute-resolution methods available – covering mediation, arbitration, expert determination, adjudication, conciliation, and various other forms of ADR. The pros and cons of each of these methods are identified, and the differences between the various methods are explained. Importantly for solicitors, the role of practitioners in each of the methods is also identified.

Mediation was a particular focus of the committee this year:

• In September, we issued a practice note to assist members on compliance with their obligation under section 14 of the Mediation Act 2017 to advise clients about mediation before starting proceedings,
• The committee continued to represent the Law Society and the profession in engaging with stakeholders regarding the establishment of the Mediation Council under the Mediation Act 2017,
• Committee members drafted a series of articles on different aspects of mediation that were published in the Gazette.

The committee continues to work with Arbitration Ireland, the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators – Irish Branch, and others to support the development of arbitration and adjudication practice in Ireland for domestic and international dispute resolution. The Law Society’s appointees to the International Chamber of Commerce National Committee, the Commission on ADR and Arbitration, and Court of Arbitration continue to represent the profession at an international level.

The committee is responsible for the Law Society’s panel of arbitrators, which can be found on the ADR Committee page at www.lawsociety.ie. During 2024, the committee reconstituted this panel, with existing members undertaking an application process. Members who have experience as arbitrators and wish to be considered are invited to apply for membership of the panel. We are keen to enhance the panel’s diversity.

The committee promotes and contributes to ADR seminars, workshops, and other events. This year, members have participated in a wide range of events to inform and educate the profession, trainees, and the wider public. Some highlights included:

• The organisation of a prelude event during Dublin International Dispute Week (in September). The seminar, titled ‘The Future of Dispute Resolution’, had over 100 in attendance and featured a distinguished panel of domestic and international experts and included a recorded address from Prof Richard Susskind.
• The hosting of an experience-sharing workshop for members of the Law Society’s Arbitration Panel. This well-received roundtable provides panel members with an opportunity to meet to explore general issues of mutual interest arising from domestic practice.
• The co-sponsoring of the Arbitration Ireland Young Practitioners’ Seminar (in November), in conjunction with Dublin International Arbitration Day.
• A presentation on mediation at the Future of Legal Practice Summit for PPC trainees (in January), and providing input to the new Mediation Lawyering Advanced Elective (May).
• Speaking at the Kilkenny CPD Cluster (in November).

Finally, I wish to sincerely thank all committee members, especially secretary John Lunney, for their hard work this year.

Liam Guidera | Chair

The Business Law Committee continues to represent, inform, and assist the profession on a broad range of business-law topics. It also reviews practical issues arising for solicitors in advising on corporate and commercial matters.

During the past year, the committee was very active with a number of submissions and engagements on business-law matters. We recently had a very positive engagement with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment’s Inward Investment Screening Unit on the development of guidelines to inform the profession and business clients on Ireland’s new inward-investment regime.

The committee also made a comprehensive submission to the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications on the Electronic Commerce Act 2000 (and related legislation), highlighting several areas for improvement in the current legislative framework for the execution of documents by electronic means.

During 2024, we updated the guidance note on transferring completion funds in commercial transactions, in compliance with Solicitors Accounts Regulations 2023 (SI 118/2023).

We continue to engage with the Company Law Review Group in relation to the regime that permits directors and company secretaries to seek an exemption from having their residential addresses published by the Companies Registration Office.

The committee made a number of submissions to the Central Bank with a view to strengthening due process and defence rights in Individual Accountability Framework procedures and guidelines. It engaged in direct correspondence with Central Bank officials regarding reforms of the bank’s fitness and probity regime.

We also made a number of submissions to the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) regarding proposed changes to its Guidance on Mergers (which sets out the CCPC’s policy when reviewing Irish mergers and acquisitions), and on the CCPC’s proposed settlement procedure, with a view to strengthening the fairness and due-process protections of CCPC sanction procedures.

We continued our engagement with the Registrar of Companies on issues arising in practice and in relation to the closure of the public office.

We hosted the Annual Business Law Conference in November 2024, which provided expert insights into recent developments on ESG sustainability reporting and due diligence. The conference was well attended and feedback from attendees was justifiably very positive.

I am indebted to the committee’s vice-chair Philip Andrews SC and committee secretary Claire McGee for their work, support, and commitment. I thank all members of the committee for their generosity in sharing their expertise and experience with the profession, and for the time they dedicate to the work of the committee. This goes beyond simply attending committee meetings. Members have devoted many hours to researching issues, preparing submissions and presentations for the annual conference, dealing with matters in subcommittees, and liaising with colleagues and other Law Society committees.

Eleanor Daly | Chair

The Conveyancing Committee enjoyed yet another tremendously successful and productive year in 2024, with no less than ten new practice notes published on topics such as the new commercial rates legislation, roads and services, Residential Zoned Land Tax, occupancy clauses in planning permissions, and the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015, all of which were very well received by the profession.

Throughout the year, committee meetings were hosted monthly in a hybrid manner, with members attending either online or in person. Attendance and engagement continued to be both positive and enthusiastic, with very useful debates on many of the areas of law affecting conveyancing solicitors. Work continued on the new combined building agreement/contract for sale and the recently published pre-lease enquiries.

Since March 2024, committee members regularly met with the Housing for All Expert Group on Probate and Conveyancing. At these meetings, the Law Society took the opportunity to highlight its many submissions and recommendations that outlined concerns with the significant and long-standing delays in the conveyancing process.

Areas discussed included the long delays experienced by conveyancing solicitors in taking up title deeds; the necessity to search back to 1964 for planning compliance; delays in title registration and the new rejection processes in the Land Registry; roads-and-services issues and the urgent need for a more uniform means of taking up these certificates from local authorities; statutory declarations; and unpaid taxes being charges on title.

Since the beginning of 2024, the committee engaged extensively with many third parties, including Tailte Éireann, the Banking and Payments Federation Ireland, the RZLT and LPT sections of the Revenue Commissioners, the Local Government Management Agency, the Decision Support Service, the Society of Chartered Surveyors in Ireland, RIAI, HomeBond, the Construction Industry Federation, and the various bar associations.

The committee secretary spoke at various LSPT cluster events around the country, highlighting the work of the committee and updating practitioners on conveyancing practice. Feedback at these talks and events has been very positive, following which engagement with the committee has increased, with an average of between two and four practice queries being dealt with daily by the secretary.

One of the many highlights in 2024 was the publication of the Speed Up Your Property Sale guide in July, which was published as a joint initiative of the Law Society and the SCSI. This guide was warmly welcomed by the profession and helped to explain the many issues that could delay the conveyancing process for the consumer.

Renewed thanks are due to all committee members, consultants, committee secretary Deborah Leonard, and vice-chair Keith McConnell, who continue the work of the committee for the year ahead.

Eleanor McKiernan | Chair

The committee has had a busy and productive year. It provided contributions to the Oireachtas and to the Department of Justice and Equality, with a submission titled Public Consultation on the Reform of the Coroner Service and its Submission on the General Scheme of the Garda Síochána (Recording Devices) (Amendment) Bill.

A key priority for the committee is the restoration of fees for legal aid. To this end, the committee has met with the Department of Justice to discuss this issue, and will continue this engagement through 2025.

We have worked closely with the Courts Service to ensure that practitioners are fully up to date with latest developments of courts’ business.

The Criminal Law Committee is committed to continuing our programme of liaison meetings with criminal-justice-system stakeholders to represent the experiences of solicitors when they attend garda stations or prisons.

We continued our assistance to criminal-law practitioners who had practice guidance queries, and by hosting the committee’s annual conference in September 2024, in conjunction with Law Society Professional Training. Some of the conference topics included juvenile sentencing and guidelines, presented by Thomas O’Malley SC (senior lecturer, University of Galway), and a presentation on the Parole Board by Mr Justice Michael White, together with anti-money-laundering updates relevant to practitioners.

Fergus Mullen | Chair

The mission of the Law Society’s Law School, Diploma Centre, and Law Society Professional Training (LSPT) teams is to enable solicitors to provide excellence in legal services to the public through the delivery of effective professional legal education and training. The Curriculum Development Unit (CDU) helps to oversee the achievement of this objective.

The CDU membership includes solicitors from firms of all sizes, the in-house sector, Law Society staff, and academics. As part of its role, the committee meets with the Law Society teams managing the delivery of the different Professional Practice Courses (PPCs), diploma programmes, certificate programmes, and continuing-professional-development training courses.

The CDU reviews the Law School’s curricula to ensure that the courses offered at every level are of the highest possible standard. The unit also suggests improvements for existing courses, topics for potential new courses and, if considered appropriate, adoption of same by the Law School through the Law Society’s Education Committee.

In 2024, the CDU considered documentation for the different courses being delivered by the Law School as part of the PPC. The committee also received updates on the work of the Law Society’s Diploma Centre and LSPT teams.

Other topics considered by the CDU during the year included the Law Society Access Scholarship Programme, the Law Society Competency Framework for Solicitors in Ireland, the Legal Services Regulatory Authority’s Breaking Down Barriers report on barriers to entry to the legal profession, and the different services provided to trainee solicitors and qualified solicitors by the Law Society Psychological Services team.

The unit also considered several new advanced elective modules for approval during the year, with these advanced electives to be delivered by external providers under the Fused PPC model.

In May 2024, several CDU members participated in a trip to Birmingham, England, to meet representatives from The University of Law and the Solicitors Regulation Authority. The purpose of this trip was to learn more about the different teaching and learning methods being adopted by professional-training institutions in other jurisdictions, with a view to potentially incorporating some of these methodologies into the Law Society’s own professional legal education and training courses in future.

Emma Crowley | Chair

The committee submitted constructive feedback, from an employment-law perspective, to the Revenue Commissioners on the Revenue Guidelines for Determining Employment Status for Taxation Purposes in May 2024.

We continued to liaise with other committees during the year under review. This included participating in the Business Law Committee’s annual conference in November 2024. We continue to liaise with the committee regarding the implications of section 19 of the Criminal Justice Act 2011. Separately, the Employment and Equality Law Committee continues to work with the Taxation Committee regarding employment status. We have provided a strong voice in policy debate to inform decision-making.

During the year, the committee continued to keep under review the experiences of practitioners attending before the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC). Similar to last year, a stakeholder meeting was held with senior representatives from the WRC in May 2024, including its new director general Audrey Cahill and the director of adjudication services David Small.

This was a positive and productive meeting, where the committee put forward issues identified by practitioners in their engagements with the adjudication and administrative sections of the WRC.

The WRC also updated the committee and wider membership on upcoming developments in the area. An open line of communication was further strengthened to enable the continuation of discussions on any issues that arise.

Committee members, together with invited guest speakers, presented a webinar for practitioners on a variety of topical legal issues in employment law, including key employment-law issues with taxation implications, pensions auto-enrolment in Ireland, and case-law updates in employment law.

The webinar concluded with a panel discussion on practical tips on running a claim in the WRC.

Síobhra Rush | Chair

The Law Society’s Environmental and Planning Law Committee monitors developments in relation to law reform or legislative proposals in the area of environmental and planning law.

The committee has worked closely with the Courts Service in relation to practice and procedural issues relevant to the operation of the Planning and Environment Court. In May 2024, we submitted observations in response to the consultation on the Planning and Environment List. The objective of this consultation was to seek the views of practitioners on the operation of the list.

In December, we submitted a letter to the High Court in response to an invitation for feedback regarding the High Court Pilot Project for the Long Vacation 2024.

We continue to liaise with the courts on the reintroduction of physical hearings in the Monday sittings of the Planning and Environment List since the commencement of the Michaelmas Term of 2024 (the ‘Monday Lists’), regarding how the changes are working in practice. As at year-end 2024, two members of the committee have joined the new users’ group for the Planning and Environment Court, established on a pilot basis for a period of six to 12 months.

The committee continues to monitor and engage with government departments on the implementation of the Planning and Development Act 2024. Of particular interest are provisions concerning access to justice, primarily in the areas of judicial review and environmental legal costs. In July 2024, we contributed to the drafting of a submission to the Interdepartmental Group on Environmental Legal Costs, concerned with the drafting of regulations under the Planning and Development Bill (now enacted). The submission addressed the policy position of the Law Society on the environmental legal-costs assistance mechanism.

The committee’s annual CPD conference, ‘Planning for the future – exploring the changing landscape in environmental and planning law’, took place in November and addressed topics from the newly passed Planning and Development Act 2024. The keynote address was given by Mr Justice Richard Humphreys. Other speakers included Oonagh Buckley and Paul Hogan.

We participated in a number of other educational events during the year under review, including:

• The PPC Sustainability Society’s panel discussion on climate litigation in March 2024, which celebrated An Taisce ‘Green Week’. Committee member Andrew Jackson took part in a panel discussion that discussed the impact of the legal profession in tackling climate change and the role of litigation.
• A joint event with the Younger Members’ Committee in September, in which committee members participated on the panel and discussed career paths in the planning-and-environmental law arena.
• A jointly hosted event with the Planning, Environment and Local Government Bar Association on the EU Nature Restoration Law. Speakers included Mema Byrne and the committee chair, Rachel Minch SC.

Rachel Minch SC | Chair

The EU and International Affairs Committee continues to represent the Law Society of Ireland, both within and beyond Europe, by building strategic connections with other professional organisations. These relationships promote the fruitful exchange of ideas on current legal developments, particularly those influencing the governance of the legal profession.

Committee member Cormac Little SC continues as the Law Society’s representative on the Irish delegation to the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE). In 2024, the Law Society assumed the leadership of Ireland’s delegation to the CCBE, succeeding the Bar of Ireland.

The committee maintains relationships with Brussels-based representatives of various European bar associations through an annual ‘round-table’ meeting, held in January or February each year. This provides a valuable opportunity to discuss issues of concern to the Irish legal profession and to learn from other bar associations’ experiences in dealings with EU institutions in Brussels.

We have continued our collaboration with the Paris Bar, promoting its two-month Stage programme, which enables an Irish solicitor to gain formal education in French law and practical experience in a Parisian law firm.

We participated in the Law Society’s e-Evidence Working Group, represented by committee member Duncan Grehan, who chaired the group. It included members from the Law Society’s Intellectual Property Committee, Technology Committee, and Criminal Law Committee. The working group held several internal meetings to discuss the implementation of the e-Evidence Regulation before presenting their insights to the Department of Justice. The working group remains available to provide further assistance to the department on the implementation of this important legislation.

The committee actively supports the European Lawyers in Lesvos programme and has joined the president’s initiative of the European Federation of Bars. The committee has also expressed an interest in participating in the CCBE’s proposed lawyer-exchange programme, which is currently in the feasibility analysis stage.

Building on the relationship formed in 2020 with the California Lawyers’ Association (CLA), the committee and CLA representatives continue planning joint online seminars appealing to both associations’ members. As part of the Council of Europe’s Human-rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP) programme, the committee offers free online courses for legal professionals on European human-rights regulations. The HELP course on the interplay between the ECHR and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, hosted by the Law Society, was launched in September 2024.

The year under review marked the third year of collaboration with the Irish Red Cross. Together with PPC-course colleagues, we organised a quiz to raise funds for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent on 7 November 2024, at the Vanilla Café in Blackhall, having raised over €40,000 over the past three years.

In 2024, the committee organised several successful CPD events, including:

• An in-person seminar titled ‘Balancing privacy and transparency’ in October 2024, with speakers Helen Dixon (ComReg commissioner), Paul Egan SC (committee member), Dr TJ McIntyre (associate professor and head of teaching and learning at the Sutherland School of Law, University College Dublin), and Dr Alexander Chance (head of policy and research at Transparency International Ireland),
• An online seminar on the role of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) with speakers Joseph Maguire (EPPO) and Sergio Spagnolo (partner at Studio Legale BSTC), in November 2024.

Committee members also contributed articles to the ‘Eurlegal’ section of the Gazette on important developments in EU and international law.

I wish to express my sincere gratitude to all committee members for their dedication and valuable contributions, and to our secretary Deirdre Flynn, for their outstanding support and enthusiasm.

Richard Kelly | Chair

The Family and Child Law Committee enjoyed a very active year in 2024. The committee, comprising 20 members, has varied experience in all areas of family and child law. Many represent or have represented the Law Society on external committees, including Courts Service groups, civil legal-aid, and a European lawyers’ group. The committee participated in forums in the Department of Justice relating to the Family Courts Bill and the development of family law into the future.

Committee members also contributed a number of articles and guidance notes to the Gazette. Members took part in CPD seminars and Law School programmes. We worked on a number of projects during the year and held a very successful Family Law Conference in December 2024.

We were also invited to present a ‘Family Law Update’ CPD event with the Galway Solicitors’ Bar Association.

The committee is always very active, particularly in advocating for legislative reform. We continued to provide a strong voice in representing our colleagues in family-law reform matters. A large amount of legislation made its way through both houses of the Oireachtas. Of particular note was the Family Courts Bill, which, further to a collaboration of lobbying by the Law Society and approximately 15 stakeholders, was substantially amended before it was enacted as the Family Courts Act 2024.

The committee sought to amend legislation dealing with anomalies on pension-adjustment orders, in conjunction with the Law Society’s Pensions Committee. We continued to identify issues with regards to section 32 and 47 reporting guidelines. The committee sought changes to the civil legal-aid system, which underpins access to justice for all.

At the November 2024 committee meeting, committee member Catherine Ghent was congratulated on her appointment to the District Court. The chair acknowledges the exceptionally hard-working and enthusiastic committee members for their work and support during the year, in particular predecessors Keith Walsh and Helen Coughlan, and the committee’s secretary Judith Tedders.

Siun Hurley | Chair

As the Law Society’s most popular member service, the Gazette remains an essential communications tool for legal professionals, providing timely and in-depth coverage of the latest legal news and developments. The Gazette’s communications suite includes the monthly magazine, the daily news service (Gazette.ie), and the weekly Gazette Digest.

During the year under review (2024), the Law Society’s Statement of Strategy flagged a major strategic initiative – to develop more personalised and targeted services to solicitors in order to help them thrive in their practices and careers. As a result, the Gazette has been focusing on delivering specific articles of relevance to members working in smaller, medium, and larger firms, as well as those working in the in-house sector.

We introduced a new ‘Committee Spotlight’ series in 2024 that has been shining a light on the valuable work being done by the Law Society’s committees on behalf of its members. The series opened with the Conveyancing Committee (June 2024) and our aim is to cover all committees into the future.

The key focus of the Gazette’s multi-award-winning magazine and online news service is to inform the profession on legislative and regulatory changes – offering valuable support to solicitors in navigating legal reforms. We also cover significant legal conferences and seminars not served by the major media outlets – an importance service for the profession.

The magazine’s circulation and readership of Gazette.ie continue to grow strongly. In the year under review, Gazette.ie recorded over 1,267,983 million page views – a 25% increase on 2023. Additionally, the site logged 743,407 sessions, while the digital version of the Gazette was downloaded on average 1,200 times a month.

In line with its commitment to sustainability, the Gazette has long been a leader in environmentally conscious practices. It is 100% recyclable and uses carbon-balanced, FSC-certified paper from sustainably managed forests. It utilises eco-friendly inks and varnishes, and was one of the first magazines in Ireland to adopt a 100% compostable bio-wrap.

We welcomed three new members to the Gazette Editorial Board in 2024. I wish to express my gratitude to our former board members for their years of service; and to our new and current members for their ongoing dedication and contributions.

The Gazette’s overarching goal is to remain indispensable to the solicitors’ profession, ensuring that its content continues to evolve to meet the needs of our members through its various channels.

Readership: top five countries outside Ireland:

1. UK: 8.4%
2. United States: 4%
3. Belgium: 3.65%
4. Germany: 3.5%
5. India: 0.8%

On 6 February 2024, the Gazette lost its former designer Nuala Redmond, following her gritty battle with pancreatic cancer. Nuala gave 27 years of her career to the Gazette and won many accolades during that period. She has left behind a wonderful legacy of creativity and design excellence. May she rest in peace.

We welcome her successor, Marguerite Kiely, to the team. From Cork, Marguerite has carried forward Nuala’s legacy during her first year on board, and has implemented her first redesign of the publication, which has proved exceptionally popular with our readers.

Finally, I wish to thank Gazette editor Mark McDermott and all of his team for their continued focus on delivering excellence in both content and design – notwithstanding what has been a very challenging year, both personally and professionally.

Ken Casey | Chair

Last year, the focus of the committee was on the completion of two key documents: an update of the terms and conditions of business precedent, and a new practice note on principal and agency. These projects have involved significant effort on the part of many committee members and will provide practical assistance to the profession, once completed.

We have also conducted a review of existing practice notes to ensure that the committee’s published materials remain up to date, as well as developing new practice notes on areas of interest to the profession. This review work requires considerable cross-committee input and cross-departmental collaboration. Examples of recent work include an update to Administration of Estates: Guidelines for Solicitors, which was necessary due to the Assisted Decision Making (Capacity) Act 2015, and a new practice note on representing the child, in collaboration with the Criminal Law and the Family and Child Law Committees.

The committee has continued its comprehensive CPD offering. In the last 12 months, there have been seven talks delivered on a range of topics, including an overview of the Solicitor’s Guide to Professional Conduct, guidance on client care, the transfer of files, and the Post Office scandal in the UK.

We continue to provide outreach support to the profession through the Guidance and Ethics Helpline, which remains busy. Committee members, via a rota, are available all year round to assist with helpline queries. Typical queries range from conflict of interest, transferring files, exercising a lien over a client file, and terminating a client retainer.

To complement the work of the helpline, it is intended to publish an article in the Gazette, identifying the most common helpline queries, and pointing practitioners to published guidance to assist with these. Trainee solicitors continue to benefit from the work of the committee, as members not only deliver lectures and tutorials on the PPC courses, but also assist in the drafting of problem questions for trainee examinations.

We continue to support the work of the Panel to Assist Solicitors in Regulatory Difficulty, and hosted an annual afternoon of regulatory CPD lectures for the members of the panel. This provided them with an opportunity to meet colleagues and discuss common issues and concerns, all while learning and earning much-valued regulatory points.

Finally, the committee maintains and updates the online ‘Get a Quote’ page, which provides the public with access to a list of participating solicitors through a platform available on the Law Society’s website.

Cian Moriarty | Chair

2024 saw another busy year for the committee: drafting submissions, organising events, raising awareness, and giving advice to the Law Society and other committees on issues relating to human rights and equality.

In the year under review, there was more of an international slant to the committee’s work than in previous years. In particular, the committee expressed concerns in relation to ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Palestine. The situation regarding those applying for international protection in Ireland was also raised, and representations were made.

In keeping with this international focus, the committee was delighted to have Prof Fionnuala Ní Aoláin (former UN Special Rapporteur on the Protection of Human Rights while Countering Terrorism) deliver the annual Human Rights Lecture.

Following on from a committee reception for endangered lawyers, we partnered with Irish Rule of Law International, Frontline Defenders, and the Bar Council’s Human Rights Committee on a project to train and mentor endangered lawyers in Africa, which is being rolled out in 2025.

Closer to home, the committee’s other work included discussions, observations and submissions on a wide variety of areas, including the Planning and Development Bill, equality-legislation reform, the Hate Speech Bill, adult safeguarding, the Occupied Territories Bill, and the general scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill.

The committee welcomes the impending establishment of the new Law Society Centre for Justice and Law Reform, and looks forward to working with it.

November saw Gary Lee finishing after three years as committee chair. He is succeeded by Cristina Stamatescu, while Áine Flynn has been reappointed as vice-chair.

The committee wishes to sincerely thank the Law Society staff members who have assisted it during the year, in particular Leo Twiggs, Freda Grealy, Claire McGee, and committee secretary David Irwin.

Cristina Stamatescu | Chair

The committee promotes the interests of in-house solicitors, which now comprise approximately 27% of the profession. It is a busy and hard-working committee, with 25 members in 2024 drawn from across the in-house private and public sectors.

In 2024, it continued its strategic work under the theme ‘Innovating and leading in transformative times’, guided by three pillars: profile, expertise, and leadership.

The committee collaborated with Law Society Professional Training on two significant events in 2024: the annual conference in October, focusing on leadership themes for in-house solicitors, and a panel discussion in May, addressing AI in in-house legal practice and the transition of in-house solicitors into non-legal roles. These events featured high-profile speakers from the in-house community.

A key 2024 activity for the committee was establishing a better understanding of the current profile of the in-house sector and its key challenges and requirements. A sub-group, led by our vice-chair, worked with Ipsos B&A to draw out information on the in-house sector from the 2023 Law Society survey of Irish solicitors. The output has provided important insights into the in-house sector and is assisting the committee in planning its future work.

In 2024, through Sarah-Jane Clifford – our committee liaison to the Gazette Editorial Board – the committee promoted articles supporting in-house knowledge-sharing and promoting in-house lawyers. The committee was also the subject of a Gazette article that profiled its work and considered the growth of the in-house sector in recent years.

As chair, I represented the Law Society at two general assemblies of the European Company Lawyers’ Association (ECLA). ECLA is the umbrella organisation for 24 European company lawyer associations and represents the common interests of European company lawyers.

Throughout 2024:

• The committee collaborated with Ireland for Law,
• Committee members played an active role within the Law Society, providing in-house insights to staff and other committees, participating in events such as the 2024 PPC Future of Legal Practice Summit, and engaging with the Professional Wellbeing Steering Group, and
• The monthly In-house Update, containing news, resources, and training for in-house solicitors, was published on the Law Society’s website and eZine.

As 2024 drew to a close, we were delighted to congratulate our (then) committee member Peter White on his appointment as a District Court judge.

I wish to sincerely thank all committee members for their contributions during 2024, with special thanks to Róisín Magee (vice-chair) and Louise Campbell (secretary).

Alison Bradshaw | Chair

The committee has been involved in a range of activities relating to data protection, digital services, technology, and intellectual-property (IP) law. Areas of focus have included:

• The implementation of the EU Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market – this is the subject of ongoing communication with the IP Unit of the DETE,
• The Unified Patent Court and potential divisional court in Ireland, culminating in the postponement of the proposed referendum in June,
• Issues with challenging trademarks that conflict with existing company names,
• Considerations under the Electronic Commerce Act 2000 to facilitate electronic dealings with the Intellectual Property Office of Ireland,
• Data-protection matters, including data transfers and the processing of children’s data, and
• The impact of the EU Artificial Intelligence Act.

Interactions with other organisations of interest during the year have included constructive meetings with:

• The Intellectual Property Office of Ireland to discuss a range of IP topics, including the impact of the Electronic Commerce Act 2000,
• Jeremy Godfrey and Niamh Hodnett of Coimisiún na Meán,
• The American Chamber of Commerce,
• The Office of the Revenue Commissioners’ Customs Division, and
• An Garda Síochána’s IP crime unit.

The committee continues to assist the profession in dealing with data-protection compliance topics by answering queries, liaising with other committees, and contributing to guidance notes. We have drafted guidance notes on handling data-access requests from An Garda Síochána and on the processing of children’s data.

The committee collaborated with other committees and the Law Society’s policy team to discuss the impact of AI on the profession, and possible supports and guidance for the profession.

Members have volunteered Gazette articles on the Consumer Rights Act 2022, international data transfers, AI and employment, and cybersecurity. A number of committee members spoke at the Law Society Skillnet Practice and Regulation Symposium 2024 on data breaches, cybersecurity, and AI.

I wish to thank the committee members for their enthusiasm, support, and hard work throughout the year.

Elaine Morrissey | Chair

We have continued to engage on significant matters, including:

• Participating in various user groups, including the Superior Courts User Group, the Modernisation of the Courts User Group, and the Digitalisation of the Courts User Group,
• Updating the profession through notices on the Law Society’s website and in Gazette articles,
• Dealing with a wide range of queries from litigation practitioners,
• Continued engagement with external bodies, such as the IMO and IRB, on issues raised by practitioners,
• Engaging with the Law Society Policy Unit regarding submissions to the Department of Justice on pre-action protocols and the public consultation from the Department of Justice regarding jury reform,
• Liaising with the Superior Court Rules Committee regarding commissioners’ fees,
• Engaging with the Circuit Court Rules Committee regarding the Circuit Court Rules (Digital) 2024,
• Working on a submission on a proposed long-stop on the Statute of Limitations,
• Preparing to draft a Statement of Principles on the best type of class action for Ireland, and engaging with stakeholders such as the Bar and the judiciary,
• Working with the Business Law Committee on e-signatures,
• Liaising with the Courts Service and the Law Society’s director general on various court offices’ issues,
• Addressing issues arising with claimsboard.ie,
• Engaging with the Interdepartmental Working Group on the Rising Cost of Health-related Claims,
• Participating in the Expert Group on Discount Rates, and contributing to the preparation of its report; participating in the Legal Costs Task Force; and participating in focus groups providing feedback on the Courts Service Portal before roll-out.

We were delighted to welcome the appointment of Niamh Ní Mhurchú as a new committee member for this term.

Our annual seminar will take place on 16 October 2025 – preparations are underway.

I wish to thank every member of the committee for their generous contributions this year. In particular, Joe O’Malley (outgoing chair in 2024) has made an enormous contribution to the committee’s work during his tenure. Our committee secretary Riona Leahy has ensured that we met our objectives and deadlines, and provided excellent assistance throughout the year.

Ann McGarry | Chair

In November 2024, a new Practice Support and Communications Committee was convened by the Law Society of Ireland. Chaired by Sonia McEntee, its membership draws on the expertise of the now defunct Practice Support Task Force and PR Committee, as well as the addition of new members.

The committee will provide feedback on the work of the Solicitor Services team – whose key objective is to enable solicitors to thrive by providing access to and information on Law Society services under the categories of Practice Support, Career Support, and Information Services. The committee will also work with the communications team to highlight the value of these supports and services.

Committee members will continue to be involved in the hugely successful Justice Media Awards, and will make regular contributions in national media.

Sonia McEntee | Chair

The committee continued to engage on behalf of practitioners and their clients, focusing in particular on the following areas:

• EPAs under the new regime,
• Tax clearance in estate cases and the requirement for TAIN numbers,
• Mandatory disclosure of discretionary trusts in wills, and

The necessity for an online portal so that solicitors can assist their clients to execute an enduring power of attorney (EPA) is now in the Programme for Government. While the committee and their colleagues on the Mental Health (Capacity) Task Force have other concerns, an online portal would go a long way in alleviating the difficulties experienced. We await implementation of this long-overdue reform.

Committee members, along with their colleagues on the Taxation Committee, are continuing to engage with Revenue to resolve the difficulties faced by solicitors, to come up with an agreed approach in estate cases, and highlight this to the profession. Revenue has provided more detail on the practicalities of the e-linking process; however, its continued use of the term ‘agent’ is regrettable.

Recently, Revenue announced that discretionary trusts in wills would no longer be exempted from mandatory reporting requirements. Representatives from the committee have engaged with Revenue at TALC and elsewhere, seeking clarification on the precise nature of this change, including confirmation that discretionary trusts created for individuals incapable of managing their own affairs and discretionary trusts drafted as a ‘gift over’ in the event of an intended beneficiary predeceasing a testator and minors inheriting, continue to be exempt from these new reporting requirements.

The committee continues to engage with the Probate Office and the Courts Service as they move to introduce an online or ‘eProbate’ regime. In this regard, we welcomed the reopening of the General Office and the Rules Office.

We also welcomed and helped publicise the introduction of a new, more detailed application form for probate applications. We welcome the introduction of the Probate Office internal case-management system, which has already led to greater efficiencies in the office and is the next step prior to the introduction of the ‘eProbate’ regime later in 2025. This has already led to a significant reduction in waiting times, and we look forward to further reductions in the future.

We continue to engage with the Probate Office in this regard, as we did with Revenue before and during the implementation of the online SA2 form, which replaced the Inland Revenue Affidavit.

Catherine Bourke | Chair

The Taxation Committee had another busy year in 2024 representing the Law Society and its members through its engagement with the Revenue Commissioners and other stakeholders.

Taxation Committee members actively participate in the Tax Administration Liaison Committee (TALC) and its relevant subcommittees, where the Law Society engages with the Revenue Commissioners and other stakeholders (the Irish Taxation Institute and the Consultative Committee of Accountancy Bodies – Ireland) with the aim of facilitating more effective and efficient tax administration.

The areas covered by TALC and related subcommittees include direct taxes, indirect taxes, capital taxes, audit, collection issues, base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS), R&D, Residential Zoned Land Tax (RZLT), and leasing. Other subgroups are formed to address specific issues as the need arises (for example, enhanced reporting requirements or ERR).

The Taxation Committee is also represented on the CCBE (Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe) Taxation Group and the Business Tax Stakeholder Forum (BTSF) established by the Department of Finance.

The committee contributed to the Law Society’s pre-budget submission and also provided comments on different provisions of the Finance Act 2024 as it passed through the legislative process. The annual Tax Guide (summarising the tax changes) was produced in December 2024/January 2025, was made available on the website, and hard copies were distributed to members with the Jan/Feb Gazette.

Numerous submissions were made on behalf of the committee over the course of the year, both via the TALC forum and directly to Revenue/Department of Finance in respect of issues concerning practitioners (for example, regarding RZLT and tax clearance for non-resident vendors). The Taxation Committee has worked closely with the Probate, Administration and Trusts Committee and with the Conveyancing Committee on matters and submissions of common interest.

The committee continues to provide updates to the profession via practice notes and responds to the various taxation queries raised directly by members of the profession and other Law Society committees throughout the year.

I wish to take this opportunity to thank Andrew Quinn and Maura Dineen, who acted as chair and vice-chair of the committee, respectively, until November 2024. Thanks, also, to Dr Rachael Hession, who ably assisted the committee as secretary for many years, up to April 2024. I welcome Nora Ward, who has taken up the role. Finally, sincere thanks to all committee members for their valued contributions and hard work throughout the year under review.

Aidan Fahy | Chair

The Technology Committee is dedicated to empowering solicitors to confidently and competently navigate the rapidly evolving technology landscape in legal practice. Through guidance on systems, regulatory compliance, and accessibility, we aim to support the seamless integration of technology in a sustainable and practical way that benefits colleagues, clients, and the profession as a whole.

In 2024, the committee had a strong focus on cyber-security and AI, while also engaging with the Courts Service and other justice-sector agencies on their digitisation efforts. We actively published a range of articles to support and inform the profession.

Cyber-security articles included:

• Cyber-security assessments – information on how law firms of various sizes can identify vulnerabilities,
• Cyber-security breaches – what solicitors need to know about responding to a breach,
• Cyber-security: technical measures for solicitors – how implementing robust technical security measures can protect a practice’s readiness,
• Reducing human error – insight on how building staff awareness can improve your firm’s readiness,
• Safer banking procedures – tips to reduce risk at a critical point in the solicitor/client interaction.

The committee also contributed to ‘Cyber-Security Basics‘, the first in a new series of downloadable resources to help enhance cyber-security knowledge for all legal staff.

On artificial intelligence (AI), the first in a series of articles for the profession took a detailed look at ensuring AI literacy in legal practices, to meet one of the earliest obligations under the EU AI Act.

Then-chair Peter McKenna also presided over a free webinar for the profession on AI in legal practice (currently available through the LegalTech Talks Hub). Other committee members contributed to AI-related CPD through Law Society Skillnet, the CCBE, Dublin Solicitors’ Bar Association, and Pinsent Masons.

In 2025, we continue to focus on publishing content that helps the profession to embrace technology with confidence. I wish to thank all the members who continue to give their time, expertise, and energy to the committee’s work. I would also like to pay tribute to Peter McKenna, who completed a hugely successful two-year period as committee chair in November 2024.

Kate McKenna | Chair

The Younger Members’ Committee (YMC) represents and advocates for members of the profession with 0-7 years’ Post Qualification Experience (PQE). This year, we were lucky to retain the expertise of some valued senior members of the committee. We were also excited to welcome new members with fresh ideas and energy. The following are some highlights from 2024:

• Members of the YMC facilitated sessions as part of the Future of Legal Practice Summit in January 2024,
• In collaboration with the Young Bar Committee, we held an in-person event in February 2024 at the Distillery Building on the topic ‘Briefing 2.0: maximising the solicitor-barrister relationship’,
• We continued the tradition of attending EYBA conferences, sending a delegation of four, representing the YMC and the Law Society of Ireland at the Spring Conference, which was held in Istanbul in March 2024,
• In April, members of the YMC presented to the Office of Parliamentary Legal Advisers as part of their legal training programme,
• We also continued the tradition of the YMC Calcutta Run Yoga in May 2024 – runners and non-runners alike were welcome to join on the pitch at Blackhall Place for a session led by Mary Duffy (Law Society Psychological Services),
• On 26 June 2024, we hosted an event for the IBA in collaboration with the Society of Young Solicitors and the Dublin Solicitors’ Bar Association’s YMC on the topic ‘From NQ to partner: how to navigate and stay well on the journey’,
• ‘Life after law: lessons learned to help a legal career’ was the theme of the YMC annual conference in October 2024 – speakers included former solicitors who have pursued other careers, including in wellbeing, recruitment, the judiciary, and journalism,
• We continue to engage with other young professionals groups, such as the Southern Law Association YMC, the Young Bar, the Chartered Accountants Ireland Young Professionals, the Northern Ireland Young Solicitors’ Association, and the European Young Bar Association.

It has been an honour to serve as chair of the YMC for 2024/2025. I wish to acknowledge the hard work of all committee members during an already busy stage of their careers. In particular, I wish to thank immediate past-chair Maeve Delargy, Genevieve Lynch (senior vice-chair), James McEvoy (junior vice-chair), and YMC secretary Siobhán Masterson.

Frank McNamara | Chair