Sir, – Probably few will disagree with John McManus that the watering-down of the already inadequate Legal Services Act was a triumph for the legal profession at the expense of the rest of us ("Legal advice has pernicious effect on how government is run", Opinion & Analysis, February 24th).
But he may be too hard on lawyers where he writes about how their advice can inhibit sensible decision-making. Lawyers’ advice is essentially an attempt to predict how a judge might decide a case based on a set of facts. Understandably, most lawyers advise cautiously. Who would trust a reckless lawyer? In recent years, judges have been much more willing then they used to be to intervene (or as some would say interfere) in matters traditionally seen as within the sole authority of the government or Oireachtas. This makes it much harder for legal advisers to predict outcomes. The problem McManus describes is caused at least as much by an unpredictable judiciary as it is by caution among legal practitioners. –
MICHAEL WILLIAMS,
Dublin 6.