[ad_1]
Attorneys and solicitors have been reprimanded by the President of the Superior Court for not complying with Covid-19 guidelines.
The highest judge said she had witnessed scenes in recent days in the Four Courts that would cause a “public scandal” if they were photographed and published.
Judge Mary Irvine said she had a hard time believing that those responsible were “professionals well versed in the dangers of Covid-19 and whose livelihoods are at stake.”
The former Supreme Court judge who was appointed president of the Supreme Court in June said she has been doing her best to get as much litigation as possible heard in the context of the pandemic.
However, in recent days he had received complaints that members of the legal profession “are simply not complying with the distance social orientation or, indeed, with the court’s own guidance regarding the use of face coverings.
“This is not just happening in Dublin, it is happening across the country,” he said in a letter Thursday to the Law Society and the Bar Council.
“And it is disappointing to hear from some members of the Court Service staff who have asked attorneys to meet these requirements, who have at times received a disparaging or aggressive response.”
In light of these complaints “and oddly enough”, I had decided to walk through the Redondo Hall on the Four Courts and through the corridors of the ground floor, first and second floors, every day of this week, to observe what is happening.
“Unfortunately, on almost every occasion I have come across groups of practitioners talking / consulting very closely with each other.
“I would dare to say that there are more practitioners offending than fulfilling their obligations of social distancing.
“In particular, the scene outside the 29th Court and the Teachers Court on several occasions yesterday, if it were photographed and published, could have created a public scandal.
‘Hard to believe’
“There were hordes of people on the landing who could easily have carried on their business while still being socially estranged by using the adjacent upper corridor.”
He said he had a hard time believing that those responsible for scenes like the ones he had witnessed were professionals aware of the dangers of Covid-19 and whose livelihoods are at stake, but regardless of the fact that the infection rate was increasing. , they continued to put themselves and others at risk.
The president of the Superior Court said that her main concern was the litigants who could suffer if the Court Service had to reverse its opening process “because the professionals will not comply with the requirements of social distancing and the use of face covers.”
He said he was also “well aware of the dire consequences” that closing physical hearings would have on the livelihoods of lawyers and attorneys, particularly those just starting out in their careers.
“Surely, all members of the bar and the legal profession must now understand that their actions have the potential not only to adversely affect their own health and financial well-being, but also to harm, if not destroy, that of their own. colleagues”.
He said that the executive director of the Court Service, Angela Denning, had told him that the continuation of the current practices would force the cessation or a significant reduction of all non-remote hearings.
The letter was sent Thursday, and in an immediate response to its members, Bar Association President Maura McNally SC said she wanted to acknowledge and thank “the vast majority of practitioners” for their cooperation in adhering to the guidelines of the Bar Association. Covid.
He urged all members to visibly support and comply with public health measures and attached a link to Judge Irvine’s letter.
He also said that he appreciated that there would be times when, through no fault of practitioners, staggering a court list could cause a pushback outside the court room, thus causing a gathering of people in the hallways.
The Law Society has not yet responded.
[ad_2]