Solicitors (Amendment) Act, 1994

Restriction on solicitor taking or retaining apprentice (section 29 of Principal Act).

44.—The Principal Act is hereby amended by the substitution of the following section for section 29:

Restriction on solicitor taking or retaining apprentice.

29.—(1) Only a practising solicitor may take an apprentice under indentures of apprenticeship.

(2) A practising solicitor who has not at some time been in continuous practice as a solicitor for a period of at least five years shall not, without the written consent of the Society, take an apprentice.

(3) Where a solicitor, who has taken an apprentice under indentures of apprenticeship the term of which is unexpired, ceases to practise or to be a solicitor qualified to practise or becomes employed as an assistant or clerk by another solicitor, he shall not, without the written consent of the Society, retain that apprentice for longer than six months thereafter.

(4) Where a solicitor has taken or retains an apprentice under indentures of apprenticeship in contravention of the foregoing provisions of this section, service or continued service by that apprentice under such indentures of apprenticeship shall be deemed not to be good service, unless the Society direct otherwise.

(5) In this section and in sections 26 , 32 , 36 , 40 , 43 and 44 (as substituted by the Solicitors (Amendment) Act, 1994) of this Act ‘practising solicitor’ means a solicitor engaged full-time in the provision of legal services as—

(a) a sole practitioner, or

(b) a partner in a firm of solicitors, or

(c) a solicitor in the whole time employment of a body corporate, or

(d) a solicitor in the full-time service of the State within the meaning of section 54 (3) (as substituted by the Solicitors (Amendment) Act, 1994) of this Act.”.