Vol. 433 No. 5
12 Mr. Molloy asked the Minister for Equality and Law Reform the number of solicitor's apprentices who have been engaged to work in the Civil Legal Aid Scheme; the terms and conditions under which they will participate; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
No apprentice solicitors have been taken on as yet by the Legal Aid Board. The details of the scheme are currently being worked out by the board in consultation with my Department with a view to ensuring that the apprentices can be taken on as quickly as possible.
Can the Minister say how many apprentices will be taken on, the remuneration they will receive and the duties they will be assigned? Does the Minister envisage that this will be of help in alleviating the large backlog and delays in many of the legal aid centres around the country?
Apprentices can and will play a helpful and important role in many of the legal aid centres around the country. This will mean that they will acquire a special expertise, particularly in the area of family law which hitherto has been confined. I cannot say at this point how many apprentices will be taken on. They will probably be taken on in the larger centres; I do not envisage them being taken on in the one solicitor centres. Arrangements will have to be made to allow the apprentices work part of the time in the Chief State Solicitor's Office as well as in the Legal Aid Board law centres because they will have to gain experience across the spectrum of legal activity. This will involve gaining knowledge in branches of the law other than family law. As part of the arrangement I had to persuade the Law Society to allow the law centres take on apprentices. They will gain their experience in the other fields of legal activity in the Chief State Solicitor's Office. On the question of salaries, this has not been determined as yet. The Law Society has recommended a rate of remuneration for solicitor's apprentices. I imagine that this is the rate that will apply but, as I said, I do not think this has been fixed or settled finally as yet.
How does the Minister intend to recruit these apprentices? Will it be by word of mouth? Will the posts be advertised publicly or will they be recruited through the Law Society?
In the private sector it is usually done by way of word of mouth knowledge, or an intending apprentice or their family might know of a solicitor and make approaches to them to see if they would be prepared to take on an apprentice. Having regard to the changes which have taken place in the profession in recent years, there is a large number of people who seek apprenticeships but are unable to secure a placement. I understand that the Law Society operates a list — in other words, an intending apprentice can put his name on the list and the Law Society will endeavour to find a placement for him, if possible. I imagine, so far as the law centres are concerned, that a direct approach could be made or more likely they will be recruited through the Law Society list.
