E 53 The Fifth Court, Valerie Peart, Principal Pearts Solicitors & Town Agents, (est. 1883)

The Fifth Court - DSBA Legal Podcast of the Year

E53 The Fifth Court, presented by Mark Tottenham BL and Peter Leonard BL

Running the same legal practice for 140 years. How do you do it? Pearts is a byword in the Irish legal scene, particularly for its 'Town Agency' practice that represents 850 solicitors right across the country. Founded in 1883 the practice is now run by 4th generation Valerie Peart who discusses her own personal journey into the family legal profession (not a foregone conclusion), setting her own practice where she was happy to do 'house calls' and then running the main family firm. She talks about the continuing trend towards smaller offices merging, due to necessity, as sole operators in rural areas are no longer viable.

Valerie's cultural reference is a book buy Kristin Hannah, called The Great Alone, highlighting the struggles of women to survive the harsh Alaskan climate.

Our dynamic legal duo also discuss three further cases from the Decisis.ie casebook.

• A case involving the deportation of a Nigerian man who's marriage was deemed not lawful.
• A case about a breach of contract where it was claimed the vendor did not give marketable title for a property they were selling.
• A case involving a member of the Garda Síochána who was allegedly in possession of sexually graphic images that were shared on a Whatsapp group.

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