§ MR. JOSEPH DEVLINI beg to ask Mr. Attorney-General for Ireland whether he is aware that the Secretary of the Incorporated Law Society of Ireland was plaintiff in an action recently at Strabane Quarter Sessions, county Tyrone, in a civil bill against Mr. George Marks, clerk of petty sessions, for penalties for that the defendant had acted as solicitor in drawing a deed of arrangement; and whether, seeing that the defendant admitted the claim, he will say whether it is intended that this official shall be dismissed.
§ THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL FOR IRELAND (Mr. ATKINSON, Londonderry, N.)The petty sessions clerk holds his office during the joint pleasure of the justices of his district and the Lord-Lieutenant. He was sued under the 3rd Section of the Attorney and Solicitors (Ireland) Act, 1866, for a penalty for having done work as a solicitor, he not being a solicitor in fact. His action consisted in preparing and filling in a printed form of lease for a person, who paid him a fee. The clerk, who has twenty-three years good service, has explained that this was the first occasion on which he had done anything of the kind complained of, that he did it inadvertently, and promised never to do it again. He has paid a penalty of £11, with £2 13s. 0d. for costs, and expenses, and has been severely reprimanded. The Lord-Lieutenant does 1133 not consider that his case calls for any further punishment.