LORD BROUGHAMpresented a petition from Attorneys and Solicitors practising in the Superior Courts of Law and Equity, praying for an alteration of this Bill, so as to declare Solicitors eligible for the appointment of Chancery Examiner. The Petitioners complained of the qualification clause of this Bill, which for the first time incapacitated attorneys or solicitors from holding the office of Examiner in Chancery. The Petitioners did not, of course, pretend that they had any right of appointment to the office, but complained of being incapacitated from holding it, which appeared to attach a kind of slur to the members of their branch of the profession.
The LORD CHANCELLORsaid, there could not really be any reflection upon attorneys in the enactment in question, because it was not as though they had been qualified for the office under former Acts, and now were incapacitated; but, until now, there had been no qualification at all required.
§ LORD ST. LEONARDSremarked, that the duties of the office were now very different from what they had been; and he did not take it that any sort of slur was cast on the profession of attorneys by the qualification now proposed. If there were, he should be the last person in the world to assent to it.
§ Afterwards, an Amendment to said Bill reported (according to order); a further Amendment made; and Bill to be read 3a on Thursday next.