Changes in Practice and Law: Celebrating Twenty-Five Years of the Irish Legal History Society

In this collection of essays, judges, legal counselors, and solicitors explore some of the changes that have impacted their profession, both north and south of the Irish border. The essays chart developments in respect to aspects of practice and law that are of significance not only to lawyers, but also to the societies that they serve. Reflecting on the fleeting nature of time, Lord Carswell recalls 50 years in the Northern Ireland Courts. The former chief justice, Ronan Keane, discusses the role of equity in Irish courts as it evolved over the past century, while Hugh Geoghegan considers the changing face of circuits during recent decades. The regulation and education of the solicitors’ profession in Northern Ireland between 1976 and 2011 are considered by Alan Hewitt, while Robert Pierse writes of 50 years in a rural law practice in the Republic of Ireland. Mary Finlay-Geoghegan examines recent developments in education at King’s Inns, which was founded in 1541. Among other distinguished contributors is Patrick Gageby SC, who asks if there was ever a criminal bar and what happened to any such tradition. The book is a fitting tribute to the work of the Irish Legal History Society and will be of particular interest to legal practitioners and others interested in the evolution of law and the legal profession in Ireland. (Series: Irish Legal History Society)