David Norris (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I also welcome the acceptance of Senator Barrett's amendment because the word "may" is far too weak. This is a question about legal professional indemnity and without that the client might be exposed to damage. That is very good and I am glad the Minister has accepted that.

With regard to amendment No. 51, this is window dressing because I do not see much prospect of partnerships between solicitors and barristers because, as I understand it - perhaps I am wrong and the Minister will correct me if I am - if a barrister enters into an agreement for a legal practice of some kind with a solicitor, he or she will be exiled from the Bar Library and that is quite a severe penalty. To include things that speculate about practices where solicitors and barristers will happily combine together in a legal practice is to a certain extent a bit of pie in the sky if they are going to be subject to this sanction from the Bar Council. If this is correct, and I am speaking from memory of newspaper articles, it is a rather nasty form of bullying that the Bar Council should seek to disadvantage a member of its profession who sets up a professional relationship with a solicitor.