Law Society of Ireland - Structure

Structure

The governing body of the Law Society is its Council. It comprises both elected and nominated members, all of whom are solicitors. Over the years the Council has established a range of Committees to which it delegates certain of its statutory functions.

The Council may comprise not more than forty-eight persons. Of its membership, between 21 and 31 must be elected from among the Law Society’s members. A delegate from each of the four provinces of Ireland must also be chosen. Up to five extraordinary members may be appointed from each of the Councils of the Southern Law Association and the Law Society of Northern Ireland while three may be appointed from the Council of the Dublin Solicitors' Bar Association.

As of 2009, the Law Society’s Council comprised the maximum permitted (i.e. forty-eight members). Each year the Council selects one of its number to be the President of the Law Society. The term of office for the President of the Law Society of Ireland runs from early November to early November of the following year.

List of Presidents since 1842

• 1842-1848 Josias Dunn
• 1848-1860 William Goddard
• 1860-1876 Sir Richard J. T. Orpen
• 1876 Edward Reeves
• 1876/77 William Roche
• 1877/78 Sir William Findlater
• 1878/79 William Read
• 1879/80 Henry A. Dillon
• 1880/81 John H. Nunn
• 1881/82 Henry J. P. West
• 1882/83 Henry T. Dix
• 1883/84 William D'Alton
• 1884/85 John Galloway
• 1885/86 Henry L. Keily
• 1886/87 Sir Patrick Maxwell
• 1887/88 Richard S. Reeves
• 1888/89 John MacSheehy
• 1889/90 W. Burroughs Stanley
• 1890/91 Francis R. M. Crozier
• 1891/92 Thomas C. Franks
• 1892/93 Edward Fitgerald
• 1893/94 John Alexander French
• 1894/95 Trevor T. L. Overend
• 1895/96 Sir William Fry
• 1896/97 Sir William Findlater
• 1897/98 William Henry Dunne
• 1898/99 Hugh Stuart Moore
• 1899/00 Richard S. Reeves
• 1900/01 James Goff and Sir George Roche
• 1901/02 Charles A. Stanuell
• 1902/03 Sir Augustine F. Baker
• 1903/04 Robert Keating Clay and Edward D. MacLaughlin
• 1904/05 Edward D. MacLaughlin
• 1905/06 Sir John P. Lynch
• 1906/07 William S. Heyes
• 1907/08 George H. Lyster
• 1908/09 William J. Shannon
• 1909/10 Richard A. MacNamara
• 1910/11 Frederick W. Meredith
• 1911/12 Gerald Byrne
• 1912/13 James Henry
• 1913/14 Henry J. Sinnott
• 1914/15 Arthur E. Bradley
• 1915/16 Charles St George Orpen
• 1916/17 John W. Richards
• 1917/18 William V. Seddall
• 1918/19 Richard Blair White
• 1919/20 Robert G. Warren
• 1920/21 Charles G. Gamble
• 1921/22 Patrick J. Brady
• 1922/23 Joseph E. MacDermott
• 1923/24 James Moore
• 1924/25 Arthur H. S. Orpen
• 1925/26 Thomas G. Quirke
• 1926/27 William T. Sheridan
• 1927/28 Basil Thompson
• 1928/29 Edward H. Burne
• 1929/30 Peter Seales
• 1930/31 Alexander D. Orr
• 1931/32 Laurence J. Ryan
• 1932/33 W. Gorden Bradley
• 1933/34 James J. Lynch
• 1934/35 Charles Laverty
• 1935/36 Michael E. Knight
• 1936/37 John J. Duggan
• 1937/38 Thomas W. Delaney
• 1938/39 Daniel J. Reilly
• 1939/40 Henry P. Mayne
• 1940/41 J. Travers Wolfe
• 1941/42 G. Acheson Overend
• 1942/43 John B. Hamill
• 1943/44 Louis E. O'Dea
• 1944/45 Parick F. O'Reilly
• 1945/46 Daniel O'Connell
• 1946/47 H. St J. Blake
• 1947/48 Sean O hUadhaigh
• 1948/49 Patrick R. Boyd
• 1949/50 William J. Norman
• 1950/51 Roger Green
• 1951/52 Arthur Cox
• 1952/53 James R. Quirke
• 1953/54 Joseph Barrett
• 1954/55 Thomas A. O'Reilly
• 1955/56 Dermot P. Shaw
• 1956/57 Nial S. Gaffney
• 1957/58 John Carrigan
• 1958/59 John R. Halpin
• 1959/60 John J. Nash
• 1960/61 Ralph J. Walker
• 1961/62 George G. Overend
• 1962/63 Francis J. Lanigan
• 1963/64 Desmond J. Collins
• 1964/65 John Maher
• 1965/66 Robert McD. Taylor
• 1966/67 Patrick O'Donnell TD
• 1967/68 Parick Noonan
• 1968/69 Eunan McCarran
• 1969/70 James R. C. Green
• 1970/71 Brendan A. McGrath
• 1971/72 James W. O'Donovan
• 1972/73 Thomas V. O'Connor
• 1973/74 Peter D. M. Prentice
• 1974/75 William A. Osbourne
• 1975/76 Patrick G. Moore
• 1976/77 Bruce St John Blake
• 1977/78 Josseph L. Dundon
• 1978/79 Gerald Hickey
• 1979/80 Walter Beatty
• 1980/81 Moya Quinlan
• 1981/82 Brendan W. Allen
• 1982/83 Michael P. Houlihan
• 1983/84 Frank O'Donnell
• 1984/85 Anthony E. Collins
• 1985/86 Laurence Cullun
• 1986/87 David R. Pigot
• 1987/88 Thomas D. Shaw
• 1988/89 Maurice R. Curran
• 1989/90 Ernest Margetson
• 1990/91 Donal G. Binchy
• 1991/92 Adrian P. Bourke
• 1992/93 Raymond T. Monahan
• 1993/94 Michael V. O'Mahony
• 1994/95 Patrick A. Glynn
• 1995/96 Andrew F. Smyth
• 1996/97 Francis D. Daly
• 1997/98 Laurence K. Shields
• 1998/99 Patrick O'Connor
• 1999/00 Anthony H. Ensor
• 2000/01 Ward McEllin
• 2001/02 Elma Lynch
• 2002/03 Geraldine M. Clarke
• 2003/04 Gerard F. Griffin
• 2004/05 Owen M. Binchy
• 2005/06 Michael Irvine
• 2006/07 Philip M. Joyce
• 2007/08 James MacGuill
• 2008/09 John D. Shaw
• 2009/10 Gerard Doherty
• 2010/11 John E. Costello
• 2011/12 Donald Binchy
• 2012/13 James McCourt
• Sources: The Law Society of Ireland 1852-2002: Portrait of a Profession By Eamonn G. Hall and Daire Hogan: Appendice 2, Pages 226-227, ISBN 1-85182-695-5 and the The Law Directory 2011 published by the Law Society of Ireland

List of Auditors of the Solicitors' Apprentices Debating Society since 1884

• 1884/85 Ernest W. Harris
• 1885/86 Edward N. Greer
• 1886/87 Robert Dickie
• 1887/88 Guy B. Pilkington
• 1888/89 John Robert O'Connell
• 1889/90 William A. FitzHenry
• 1890/91 William H. Geoghegan
• 1891/92 Joseph J. Dudley
• 1892/93 John H. Walsh
• 1893/94 Peter L. Macardle
• 1894/95 James Tench
• 1895/96 Edward P. O'Flanagn
• 1896/97 Edwin N. Edwards
• 1897/98 William Ireland Good
• 1898/99 Robert N. Keohler
• 1899/00 John J. McDonald
• 1900/01 Patrick J. Materson
• 1901/02 Henry A. Drennan
• 1902/03 James O'Brien
• 1903/04 Patrick Donnelly
• 1904/05 Laurence J. O'Neill
• 1905/06 James J. Hayden
• 1906/07 James C.B. Proctor
• 1907/08 Henry Shannon
• 1908/09 Enda B. Healy
• 1909/10 Charles B.W. Boyle
• 1910/11 John J. Molloy
• 1911/12 Thomas Arkins
• 1912/13 Ambrose Davoren and Christopher Crozier Shaw
• 1913/14 Arthur Cox
• 1914/15 Conor A. Maguire and John O'Hanrahan
• 1915/16 John Foley
• 1916/17 Patrick J. Ruttledge
• 1917/18 Barry I. Sullivan
• 1918/19 William Devoy
• 1919/20 James J. Stack
• 1920/21 Michael J.C. Keane
• 1921/22 Helena M. Early
• 1922/23 Edward A. Cleary
• 1923/24 John S. O'Connor
• 1924/25 Patrick J. Loftus
• 1925/26 Patrick Byrne
• 1926/27 John J. Nash
• 1927/28 Gerald M. Counahan
• 1928/29 Herman Good
• 1929/30 Daniel J. O'Connor
• 1930/31 Eric A. Plunket
• 1931/32 Patrick J. O'Brien
• 1932/33 Charles J. Holohan
• 1933/34 William Walsh
• 1934/35 James F.G. Kent
• 1935/36 Francis A. Gibney
• 1936/37 Andrew G. Sheedy
• 1937/38 Peter L. Gibson
• 1938/39 Anthony J.F. Hussey
• 1939/40 Michael J. Egan
• 1940/41 Dominic M. Dowling
• 1941/42 Patrick P. O'Sullivan
• 1942/43 Louis V. Nolan
• 1943/44 Patick J. Brennan
• 1944/45 Frank Martin
• 1945/46 Sean M. Flanagan
• 1946/47 George J. Colley
• 1947/48 John Edmund Doyle
• 1948/49 James P. Woods
• 1949/50 Edmund S. Doyle
• 1950/51 Richard Ryan
• 1951/52 Patrick C. Kilroy
• 1952/53 Charles Hennessy
• 1953/54 Walter Beaty
• 1954/55 Desmond P.H. Windle
• 1955/56 John F. Buckley
• 1956/57 T. Michael Williams
• 1957/58 Laurence F. Branigan
• 1958/59 Richard M. Neville
• 1959/60 Michael J. Hogan
• 1960/61 Bruce St. John Blake
• 1961/62 Thomas C. Smyth
• 1962/63 Dermot Loftus
• 1963/64 Michael V. O'Mahony
• 1964/65 Thomas W. Enright
• 1965/66 Fergus E. Armstrong
• 1966/67 James F. O'Higgins
• 1967/68 Donough H. O'Connor
• 1968/69 Michael C. Larkin
• 1969/70 Michael S. Roche
• 1970/71 Elizabeth A. Ryan
• 1971/72 Laurence K. Shields
• 1972/73 Bryan C. Sheridan
• 1973/74 Michael Staines
• 1974/75 Brian P. O'Rielly
• 1975/76 Niall Sheridan
• 1976/77 Ciaran A. O'Mara
• 1977/78 Michael D. Murphy
• 1978/79 Liam T. Cosgrave
• 1979/80 John J. Reid
• 1980/81 Richard Grogan
• 1981/82 Laurence W. Ennis
• 1982/83 William F. Holohan
• 1983/84 Aislinn M. O'Farrell
• 1984/85 Terence McCrann
• 1985/86 Francis Hacket
• 1986/87 Brian J. O'Connor
• 1987/88 Gavin Buckley
• 1988/89 Paul D. White
• 1989/90 Eileen A. Roberts
• 1990/91 Joseph N. Kelly
• 1991/92 Edward T. O'Connor
• 1992/93 Paula E. Murphy
• 1993/94 Philippa M. Howley
• 1994/95 Fergal P. Brennan
• 1995/96 Paul A. Murphy
• 1996/97 Matthew McCabe
• 1997/98 John Cahir
• 1998/99 Louise Gallagher
• 1999/00 Keith Walsh
• 2000/01 Claire O'Regan
• 2001/02 Martin Hayes
• 2002/03 Des Barry
• 2003/04 Richard Hammond
• 2004/05 Liam FitzGerald
• 2005/06 Jamie FitzMaurice
• 2006/07 Vacant
• 2007/08 Vacant
• 2008/09 Vacant
• 2009/10 Maurice Regan
• 2010/11
• 2011/12
• 2012/13
• Sources: The Law Society of Ireland 1852-2002: Portrait of a Profession By Eamonn G. Hall and Daire Hogan: Appendice 3, Pages 228-229 ISBN 1-85182-695-5 and the The Law Directory 2011 published by the Law Society of Ireland