Lawyers national pride day cancelled due to total lack of interest

THE LAW Society's National Law Day, heralded as an opportunity to raise the profession's profile and highlight the role of solicitors in the community, has been cancelled.

A Law Society spokeswoman says there is too much going on in the profession at the moment to give the event the profile it deserves. However, sources say local law societies were not interested in the concept.

Law Society vice-president Robert Sayer was not even aware the event existed. "I don't know what you are talking about, what is National Law Day?" he says. "I'm surprised if they are cancelling it. No, I'm not, nothing ever surprises me anymore."

Plans for a National Law Day were announced last year amid a fanfare of publicity. At the time, Barbara Cahalane, the Law Society's director of communications, said: "The profession has become too apologetic about being solicitors, and the Law Society had become too apologetic about representing the profession."

It was hoped the event would be so popular it would extend to a National Law Week.

National Law Day was supposed to see law firms throwing open their doors and giving free advice in supermarkets.

The Law Society celebrated its 150th birthday in 1995 with a national law week.