FOUR SOLICITORS have been ordered by the High Court not to practise until they have obtained insurance cover. Their coverage ran out last December and they were unsuccessful in obtaining new cover, the court heard yesterday.
The Law Society then brought proceedings to have their practising certificates suspended until cover was in place.
Paul Anthony McDermott, for the society, told the court it was important that people holding themselves out as solicitors should have insurance coverage in their dealings with the public.
President of the High Court Mr Justice Nicholas Kearns ordered all four not to continue practising until cover was in place.
There was no appearance yesterday on behalf of two of the four – Mary Kennedy, practising as Barrington Solicitors, Middle Abbey Street, Dublin, and Michael O’Sullivan (otherwise Michael Ó Suilleabháin) Baggot Hall, Baggot Street, also Dublin. The judge made the orders in their absence.
Lawyers for the other two solicitors – Lorna Burke, practising as Burke and Co, Kiltartan House, Forster Street, Galway, and Timothy McEniry, Lower Camden Street, Dublin – asked for adjournments to allow them to continue efforts to obtain insurance.
Ms Burke had sought cover from Quinn Direct but was awaiting the outcome of separate High Court proceedings in relation to the administrators over that company. Mr McEniry was also making efforts to get insurance in London via a Cork broker, his counsel said.
Mr Justice Kearns said he was prepared to grant adjournments for Ms Burke and Mr McEniry but only on the basis they did not practise in the interim. He adjourned both matters for two weeks.
Six legal firms face High Court orders over insurance
A MAXIMUM of six solicitors firms will face High Court orders to cease practising due to their lack of professional indemnity insurance, according to the director general of the Law Society.
Ken Murphy told The Irish Timesyesterday that each year there was a small number of firms which were unable to confirm to the society that they had professional indemnity insurance, without which they could not practise.
The society was then obliged to seek court orders to prevent them from doing so.
In addition to the four firms before the High Court yesterday, he said, one other firm was already before the court and another was likely to be brought forward, bringing to six the total number with which the society had to deal in relation to the insurance issue.