The Sun.
London, England, 1867-06-12 00:00:00

COUNCIL OF LAW REPORTING.

The following is a copy of a letter addressed by
Sir Roundell Palmer to the Lord Chief Baron and
of a letter from the Treasurer of Sergeant's-inn in
reference to that society sending representatives to
the Council of Law Reporting in pursuance of the
bar scheme :

" 11, New-square, Lincoln's-inn, May 11, 18G7. I
" My Lord,—Understanding that your lordship
has intimated your intention of moving on the first
day of Trinity Term that Sergeant's-inn do send
two representatives to the Council of Law Reporting
to act with the members already appointed to repre-
sent the several Inns of Court and the Incorporated
Law Society, I beg to submit the following state-
ment for the consideration of your lordship and the
other members of Sergeants'-inn, in the hope that
the society will be pleased to co-operate, and give
their assistance to the council in carrying out a use-
ful reforni, now recognised and appreciated by the
profession. The society will remember that the
scheme under which the council is constituted ema-
nated from a committee appointed by the bar. The
evils of the old system were—First, the multiplicity
of the reports ; there being no less than 14 of the
so-called authorised reports, the Law Journal, and
four of the weekly series, which entailed both ex-
pense and labour upon those who had to administer
and advise upon the law. Secondly,—That the re-
ports were brought out independently of one another,
and without proper supervision, th3consequence being
that many cases that should never have been reported
found their way into them, and it was not unusual
to find four or five reports of the same case differing
so materially from one another as to render the deci-
sion wholly worthless as an authority, and obliging
the judge to disregard it altogether. These grave
defects, felt by the bar alike, it was the object of the
scheme to remedy, and the council have endeavoured,
in spite of some opposition (the motives of which it
is not for me to examine), to give effect to the
wishes of the profession, and to carry out the scheme,
and much practical good has already resulted from
the introduction of the new system, for since that
introduction the whole of the so-called authorised
reports, with one exception, that of the Court of
Queen's Bench, have ceased, so far as future cases
are concerned, or have been placed under the super-
vision and control of the council. Two of the
weekly series, viz., the " New Reports" and the
" Jurist," have also been discontinued, and reports
that cost the profession upwards of £2O can now be
had for a subscription of £5 53. The scheme con-
templated giving compensation to existing interests,
and the council, with that view, have appointed old
reporters on their staff. Although the " Law Re-
ports" have been in existence hardly two years, there
are already nearly 4,000 subscribers, with every
prospect of a greater increase. The council feel it
to be of very great importance to have the co-ope-
ration of Sergeants'-inn, the presence of whose
representatives would consolidate their body,
strengthen their hands in the control of those acting
under them, and enable them also to be incorpo-
rated, by which the system may become a permanent
institution. I venture, therefore, respectfully to
express the hope that the Society of Sergeants'-inn
give that co-operation, and join with the other law
societies in assisting the council to give a proper re-