The Supreme Court decided yesterday that a firm of solicitors should no longer represent a client following a breakdown in relations.
Senior counsel Roddy Horan, for Gallagher Shatter, told the court that irreconcilable differences had arisen between the firm and its client, Mary Sheehy, a former diocesan secretary in the Catholic diocese of Kildare and Leighlin.
Requesting that the firm come "off record" in the case, he said it was "wholly inappropriate for the relationship to continue".
Referring to a list of questions submitted by Ms Sheehy to the firm concerning its conduct of her case, Mr Horan said it was "wholly inappropriate solicitors should be advised consider a document such as that".
Representing herself, Ms Sheehy said in submitting the questions it had not been her intention to be offensive.
However, she was opposing the firm being allowed to come off record until she received answers to her questions.
Mrs Justice Catherine McGuinness said that as the relationship between the solicitors and Ms Sheehy had "totally broken down, the sensible thing to do is to allow Mr [ Brian] Gallagher off record".
She said the court had no opinion on the rights or wrongs of the situation, and suggested that Ms Sheehy pursue the matter with the Law Society should she wish to do so.
She also decided that Ms Sheehy's Supreme Court appeal,against a High Court decision in February 2004 upholding the right of the diocese of Kildare and Leighlin to make her redundant, be deferred from April 28th to a future date so she might acquire new legal representation.
In 1974 Ms Sheehy became secretary to the then bishop of Kildare and Leighlin, Dr Patrick Lennon. In 1977 she was appointed diocesan secretary. From 1987 she continued to work for Bishop Laurence Ryan, Dr Lennon's successor.
In July 2002, prior to Bishop Ryan's retirement, he made Ms Sheehy redundant on the grounds that he was amalgamating her position with that of diocesan chancellor, a post held then and since by Fr William Kemmy.
In an affidavit Ms Sheehy said she believed "the bishop's expressed intention has absolutely nothing to do with 'redundancy' and it is clear that he was simply seeking my removal prior to Bishop Moriarty [ Dr Ryan's successor] taking up office".
Bishop Ryan took early retirement in 2002. He died in 2003.
Ms Sheehy's case has been a source of concern to people from within and outside the diocese. In correspondence seen by The Irish Times, a priest wrote about it to one of Ireland's most senior bishops in another diocese following her failed High Court action last year.
"Despite a generally good working relationship with Bishop Ryan, she was deeply traumatised from the outset with him, by certain events, and words from him, which made her life a nightmare," he wrote.
