Notice from The President of the Law Society, Ms Michelle O’Boyle

The President of the Law Society, Ms Michelle O’Boyle would like to draw the attention of all Solicitors to the following direction which now appears on the Courts Service website:

‘Track and trace’ obligations for practitioners

‘Track and trace’ has proved to be an effective management strategy to reduce the number of transmissions and, in accordance with public health guidelines, every solicitors’ office must maintain a register of all persons entering their business premises.

For litigation practices, this is now extended by way of a Practice Direction to solicitors on record for any party to an application or proceeding that is the subject matter of a corporeal hearing in the High Court or the Circuit Court effective from today, 31 August 2020.

Solicitors on record are required to:

  • obtain contact details from ALL persons attending court on behalf of the party whom they represent,
  • seek their consent to the retention and the delivery up to the HSE of that information if so requested, and
  • upon obtaining such consent, keep the said information safe and available for a period of four weeks following the said application or proceeding and thereafter ensure safe disposal of same in accordance with Data Protection Regulations.

The notice is available on the Courts Service website.

It is critical that all solicitors involved in litigation ensure that there is rigid compliance with the Practice Direction. It is in the public interest to do so.