As someone who has occasionally practised as a solicitor, usually depending on the wishes of the people of Dublin North-Central at any given time, I am obviously a member of the Incorporated Law Society. As a result I have perhaps a more benign view than many of self-regulation. There is a general view among members of the public that all professions are conspiracies against lay people and that they are necessarily self-protective, self-protecting and bordering on the corrupt. Unfortunately, there have been all too many cases in recent years in virtually all professions which tend to support that view. However, examples of that kind do not necessarily make for good generalisations and that is the case here.