by Emma Boyce
Over my mid-term break I got the amazing opportunity to attend the Law Society’s Solicitors of the Future TY Programme.
I, alongside 39 other students from schools across the country, attended this programme in the Solicitor training school in Blackhall Place in Dublin. Throughout this programme we were engaged in a variety of activities and were able to hear from speakers who work in the law themselves, and those who are training. I found it to be an incredibly fulfilling, informative and interesting week for me, and, in my opinion, was an incredible way to spend my midterm break. It was four-day program, spanning from Tuesday February 18th to Friday February 21st. This incredibly varied and interactive programme gave me an incredible insight into the world of law, both in Ireland and abroad, and despite being a soliciting based program it gave us a fantastic insight into legal professions across the board, and into the places that Law can take you. While I understand this programme was run to encourage students to pursue a career in law, I felt that it gave a fantastic insight into the ups and downs, hard work and resilience that is involved in working with law, but showed that when you possess a passion for something, these all become worth it.
Day 1 - Tuesday
I was definitely nervous walking into Blackhall on my first day but was very fortunate to be in a group of like-minded and kind people which helped me settle in quickly.
First, we had a talk from Judge Geoffrey Shannon, Judge of the Circuit Court
• He spoke about his law career, working in legal firms and with cases before advancing onto his work within the courts and his work within the government as a special rapporteur on child protection. Listening to him illustrated how as an individual working in a legal profession your training and expertise can result in you leading a varied and fulfilling career. He also touched on his stint as president of the adoption authority, combining his legal knowledge with his passion for child protection. He spoke about how a law degree and a legal training and position can be used to achieve and promote positive change
We then had a Blackhall lecturer conduct a few simple and fun activities with us to get us into a legal mindset.
• We had a mini debate on the Jaffa Cake argument, are they a cake or a biscuit. We were put into groups, making the exercise serve as more of a socialising exercise than anything else, but nonetheless, it sparked argument and developed debating skills and our ability to form arguments.
• We did an activity labelled ‘No children out at night’. This activity taught us about the different aspects that need to be considered when writing laws. We learnt about the importance of wording and being specific and considering every scenario and different exceptions. We then had the opportunity to rewrite a vague, made up ‘law’.
We got a tour of the of Law Society
• We learnt about the history of the building and the guide touched and how the law society uses the old building in their teaching today.
Newly qualified solicitor Vanessa Blake came to speak to us
• She spoke to us about her path to becoming a solicitor and the challenges she faced in terms of exams and a lack of connections within the industry. She was the first in her family to pursue a degree in law and felt that her life situation didn't lend itself to a career in law. She was attending a DEIS school and felt that law wasn’t an option for people like her. It was fantastic to listen to her story. She then went on to speak about her current work and answered our questions about her career so far, as a newly qualified solicitor and how she chose this path, i.e. becoming a solicitor over a barrister (this session was covered by RTE news).
We were very fortunate to be able to take a trip to The Criminal Court of Justice
• When we arrived, we were able to hear from a practicing Barrister. He spoke about his own career and journey and told us about his unique story. He had left school as a teenager but returned to school later in life, to become a barrister. It was another inspirational and encouraging story, showing that it never too late to pursue a passion or to change you career to something different or more fulfilling. He spoke to us about the role of a barrister in court cases and trials, the way the court system works, the comings and goings of the C.C.O.J. The defendants held in cells underneath, there are special areas for judges, the unique pathway of a juror into a courtroom (secret stairs, no seeing defendant in handcuffs).
• We had the opportunity to sit in on a real-life court case, where we saw the judge, jurors, defendant, prosecution, solicitors, barristers, registry and witnesses. It was interesting and exciting to see real life trials play out, and to see the barristers in action. We saw the respect, authority and fairness of the judge and the role of the jury in assessing the facts of the case put in front of them. We also learnt that there is an elected spokesperson that interacts with the judge on behalf of the jury and that they have a jury minder to serve as another communication line.
Day 2 - Wednesday
We received a talk from two trainee solicitors - Susana and Niamh
• We did an activity where we had our own ‘’country’’ and had to decide if the following be considered crimes ~ possession of drugs, drink driving, stealing, witnessing crimes without reporting, selling drugs but putting the proceed towards good etc. This got us arguing and defending our opinions, and testing our moral conscience and decision making
• We were then put ranking different crimes in orders of what we consider to be the most serious to least serious, in our opinion ~ stealing, drugs, prostitution, hit and run, robbery at gunpoint
• We also got the opportunity to ask them about their training and experience so far as solicitors ~ we learnt about the FE1’s and that process, their college/university courses before the law society, how they chose soliciting etc.
Cristina Stamatescu spoke to us on the importance of Human Rights
• With her we went through the different human rights that we see in the constitution in Ireland and the rights that we see in the EU Charter of fundamental human rights. We all got a different right which we shared with the group, and we then discussed and analysed them ~ the importance of the right and the role it plays in law. We mainly discussed the rights of children, access to education, equality before the law and the right to live. This gave a great insight into the life of a solicitor working with protecting and ensuring the rights of their clients and bringing important cases in front of the European court.
• We subsequently got to learn about the pathways into working with human rights in the law as either a barrister or a solicitor
Mini Mock trial
For this we got to conduct trials on three well known Tort law cases. Prior to each trial we all picked roles out of a hat, and while unfortunately I didn’t get to play the role of a solicitor, I had the chance to partake in two trials as a company representative and witness, and got to act as a jury member in the third.
• The first case was based on the case taken against McDonalds by Stella Liebeck. Without knowing the outcome of the real-life case, we were able to conduct a trial and come to an independent verdict. Our trial resulted in a verdict declaring the defendant to be not guilty. We decided that the plaintiff had suffered third degree burns because of fixing her coffee in a car. We found McDonalds to be not guilty, as there was a warning label on the cup indicating hot contents, adequate warning had been provided. The result of the real-life case was that McDonalds was guilty and Liebeck received $160,000 in damages.
• The second case was based on the Leonard v PepsiCo trial. This real-life case was based off if a claim by Leonard that Pepsi breached their contract when he miss interpreted an exaggerated advertisement used to promote their new points system. This system allowed consumers to win prizes in exchange for points. The ad displayed a consumer exchanging 7,000,000 points for a fighter jet. Despite terms and conditions outlining this advertisement was an exaggeration and not true to life, the plaintiff ignored this, sending a $700,000 check to Pepsi in hopes of a fighter jet. In real life the plaintiff was unsuccessful. I got to act as a jury member for this case, along with 7 others and we came to the decision that the defendant was not guilty after a long deliberation.
• The last case was the Donoghue v Stevenson case. This case is recognised as the beginning of tort law. The verdict in 1932 established tort law and began the practice of ‘duty of care’ within the newly established tort law. Tort law was the beginning of civil v civil cases/civil vs company cases. This case resulted from an incident where Ms. Donoghue found a decomposing snail in her bottle of ginger beer midway through consumption, resulting in stomach issues. She sued the company, and, after being brought to the House of Lords, won her case against the manufacturer Stevenson. When we acted out this case, I played the role of an eyewitness, and was cross examined. The jury’s verdict backed the plaintiff, Ms. Donoghue and found the defendant to be guilty.
Day 3 - Thursday
On Thursday we were split into three groups and brought on a tour of a commercial law firms. My group went to William Fry Solicitors.
• Upon arrival we were brought to the top floor of the firm into the main boardroom, which looked like something out of top law series’ like ‘Suits’. In here we were able to avail of refreshments, hot chocolate and cake. Once we were all settled, we were able to talk to two of the HR and management team members. While they themselves weren’t solicitors they were able to inform us of the various internships they make available to students i.e. summer internships for a month every year. They also informed us about what they offer to students if they complete their traineeship in the firm. We learnt about how the two and a half year traineeships are structured, from an introductory period, to the four different commercial laws modules that they give students a flavour of, and to the activities and social schedule student can have when they are completing their internship.
• After this we met two of their current trainees. They spoke to us about their experience in William Fry so far, what their roles entail, experiences that they have had, cases and clients that they have encountered and their journey through legal training so far. I learnt more about the different modules offered at William Fry’s as a trainee, such as litigation, technology, commercial, competition and banking law. If was great to see that there can be such variety in one firm and within a traineeship, showing the diversity within commercial law.
• After they spoke to us, they gave us a tour around the firm, which ranges across six floors. We saw their canteen, library, gym and some other boardrooms and social areas, as such a large firm they can provide an abundance of amenities to their staff.
• When we came back from the tour, we did an exercise called ‘You are the Judge’. For this exercise we were randomly paired up with one another and given six real life cases. As judges we had to decide who should win the case, without the help of a jury or the real-life outcomes of these cases. The team with the most correct answers won. My teammate and I did well, a difference of opinion on the verdict of the last case was what lost it for us, but nonetheless we had fun, and it was an opportunity to learn and work together. This was a fun activity that forced us to look at cases from all perspectives.
Dead bodies, live minds - this activity was run by one of the trainee solicitors, Niamh, when we came back from our tour.
• Together we had to work in groups to solve a murder case. We were given all the evidence from the Morton case, the case surrounding the killing of mother and wife Christine Morton. This was a complicated case that resulted in a wrongful conviction and the imprisonment of Christine’s husband Michael who served a total of 24 years before the case was reopened. We, however, didn’t know the result of the case, and had to decipher whether or not Mr. Morton was guilty of killing his wife. My group decided that he wasn’t as evidence was disjointed and seemingly inconclusive. There was no concrete evidence of his involvement and samples of unknown DNA found around the scene. When each group delivered their verdict Niamh told us the result of the case, Christine was, in fact, not killed by her husband. When Mr. Morton was tried in court some of the evidence was withheld from the jury, i.e. evidence with DNA samples that didn’t match Mr. Morton. This led to his conviction and was likely due to police efforts to pin it on someone, instead of leaving the case open without any concrete leads. In the end we found out that Christine was murdered by Mark Alan Norwood, seemingly unknown to Morton. This activity gave us an insight into criminal law, the work of a criminal defence solicitor and allowed us to talk about the changes that have occurred in how trials are conducted as a result. It is now mandatory for all evidence to be presented in court and the time limit for a case being brought to court extended.
Day 4 - Friday
Studying law, Doctor Sophie Doherty, Lecturer in Law spoke to us about law in academia.
• Firstly, Sophie spoke to us about her journey studying law. She talked us through her journey studying pure law in Queens University, Belfast. She told us about how she struggled with academics and confidence in her first two years of college and how she found it difficult to adjust to the big change between secondary school and college, especially in how achievable high grade were. She also found it difficult pigeonholing herself and limiting herself to a pure law degree, as someone who always possessed a great love and passion for art. She explained how a year abroad in America changed her outlook and confidence completely. When in the states she got the opportunity to continue her Irish law degree while also taking up new modules. She chose to do business and art. She said her grades, outlook and confidence got a huge boost from her time in America. New people, experiences and modules gave her confidence, and she says that she came back a different person. Once back in Queens, she continued her bachelor's degree and complete a masters including art, with her dissertation allowing her to combine both of her passions with her research project on Susana and the elders. She was able to combine her knowledge on sexual violence and the law with her artistic knowledge and flair. This dissertation led to her being encouraged by supervisors to achieve a PHD, which she did with her thesis ‘Visualising Justice: Sexual violence law and art’ passing unconditionally. She has since gone on to lead a successful career in academia. She had lectured globally, held position as a lecturer in DCU and is currently a lecturer in law at the open university. She showed us how a career in law doesn’t have to lead to you pursuing a career as a solicitor or a barrister, a career in academia can be just as fulfilling and rewarding. Through her talk we learnt there are so many career paths in the law. She explained how her career has taken her around the world and has allowed her conduct further research on sexual violence and its victims, the law and art. Overall I found her to be an inspirational speaker who showed us that college doesn’t all have to be smooth sailing, a career in law can open a world of opportunity and the most important thing is to stay true to yourself and your interests. At the end she also gave us practical advice for studying law in college, useful tips and knowledge she felt would’ve helped her.
We then had a route to becoming a solicitor panel with trainee solicitors Paul, Lauren and Vaishnavi
Paul and Vaishnavi = Mason Hayes and Curran Solicitors
Lauren = John O’Leary Solicitors
• During this panel the trainees spoke to us about their experience and answered any questions that we have about being a trainee solicitor. Firstly, they all introduced themselves and their firm, giving us a glimpse of their department and a general overview of their work there. With question prompts we were able to see what the role of a trainee is in a firm, find out the differences in the role of a trainee solicitors versus a qualified solicitor, better understand their work-life balance and hear their plans for their future once qualified. I got to ask about the different departments in large firms and the amount of court work that solicitors in these firms, depending on department, get to undertake, as this would be an element of the job that I would have a great interest in. This panel was a great last chance for us to clear our heads and ask any more questions that we had after the week.
Parchment ceremony
• The last part of our week was the parchment ceremony. We heard from TP Kennedy director of the education and Claire O’Mahony director of lifelong learning. They thanked us for and congratulated us on completing the program and fully immersing ourselves into the experience. After they spoke, we were called up to receive our parchments and then went through half an hour of rigorous photo taking for press.
OVERALL REVIEW
I found this to be a very well thought out and structured program. Every minute of every day was accounted for with engaging activities, inspirational and informative speakers, and fun and unique trips. We experienced and did a lot considering the program was only four days, which was down to good planning and variety, one of the reasons that I loved this program. We were given a schedule at the start of the week, so we always knew what was coming up which was helpful for trips, but also to get us thinking of questions and to maybe look into things ahead of time.
I also found that the program gave an excellent insight into law as a career, not just from a soliciting perspective but from an overall point of view. We got an insight into the job and life of a barrister and a lecturer in law, while also learning about the other routes and career paths that a degree in law can take you down. I thought that this was amazing as I presumed going into the course that it would solely be about becoming a solicitor, but instead we received a very broad perspective on law, in its entirety.
The program allowed me to speak to experts and lecturers in law, one on one. After every talk there was the option to approach the speakers if you had any questions, queries or thoughts. I availed of this opportunity on two sperate occasions, both time the speakers gave me time to ask them questions and to seek advice without hesitation or rushing me. After hearing from Christina Stamatusce I got to ask about her career working with human rights and the law, as this would be an area of interest to me. She told me about her career paths, spoke to me a little more about her current job and gave me tips on a few events to look out for in relation to human rights, which I thought was very kind and helpful. I was also able to talk to Dr. Sophie Doherty about studying law and pursuing a more academia-based career with a law degree, she was also incredibly welcoming and kind. Without this program I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to hear from people working in areas that I have an interest in, directly, and I wouldn’t have been able to ask my own questions to the experts themselves, they both gave me great advice and encouragement, truly a rare opportunity.
This program provided me with an abundance of new experiences, that will stand to me down the line. The trips to the courts and laws firms gave great insights into different aspect of work in law and into the differences between different types of law and their roles in society. The mini mock trial is something I likely won't be able to do again, in my secondary school years. It was a great chance to familiarise ourselves with the working of the court and the roles that are played within a trial. New experiences such as listening to speakers and experts on their different experiences with and roles working within the law, were amazing, and experiences that I wouldn't have had otherwise.
I also had the incredible chance to make loads of new friends and connections during my time at Blackhall. We were all very like-minded, and the group was an incredibly nice bunch of people. We all worked together very well and seemed to gel as a group. I luckily made a few close friends which I will remain in contact with into the future, all people whom I share similar interests and ideas with, and hopefully people that I will work with down the line.
Overall, I would say that this was an incredible experience. I did so many new things, heard so many new ideas, pieces of information and perspectives, and met, and heard from, many amazing and inspirational people. It has definitely firmed up my mind on where I see my future career taking me, and though it is not the only thing that I will take from it, that is definitely an important thing to take from it. I would recommend this programme to anyone who has an interest in law as it is most likley going to be my favourite part of TY.
Since finishing the TY programme, I have been contacted by the Law society inviting me to take part in ‘legal ambitions law module’ – an online course which covers dynamic themes such as social justice, human rights etc. I have accepted this invite and look forward to completing the four modules.
