Law Society of Ireland welcomes delegation from China

The Chinese delegation, on a fact finding and information exchange mission, held meetings in Dublin, the UK and France, and were delighted at the warm Irish welcome they received.

Ken Murphy, director general of the Law Society, told Irish Legal News: “We were delighted to host for the first time this illustrious contingent of lawmakers and academics from China.

“We were honoured that head of mission, Mr Zhang Mingqi (Vice President of the China Law Society and Vice-Chairman of the Law Committee of the National People’s Congress) and his team spent an afternoon seeking a better understanding of the Irish legal system and the role that the Law Society plays – most notably our responsibilities for education, regulation and representation of solicitors.

“The structure of the Law Society here is quite a contrast to the China Law Society, however there was a mutual interest in exploring opportunities for closer ties – with a focus on educational opportunities in the immediate term.”

The meeting was attended by Michael Quinlan, newly-elected Society president; Martin Cooney, chair of its EU and international affairs committee; and staff from its education and professional learning teams.

Mr Murphy added: “The Law Society’s mandate is to be a trusted voice of a respected solicitors’ profession – and that means both in Ireland and internationally. Today’s meeting marked another opportunity to enhance our profession’s reputation, discuss issues relating to the rule of law in our two nations and open up opportunities for the Irish market in legal information exchange and education services.”