UCC law students to be recognised for work placement performance

Students in the College of Business and Law at University College Cork (UCC) will be recognised at its Work Placements Award ceremony later today.

Over 500 business and law students completed a work placement as part of their undergraduate or postgraduate study last year, and the awards ceremony will recognise and reward those with “exceptional” performance.

Dr Louise Crowley of the School of Law told Irish Legal News: “The UCC Law School has particularly strong links with practitioners in Cork and arranges annual placements with local solicitors and barristers who generously offer students the chance to observe and at times participate in the legal process in operation in Cork. Placements within Ireland also include solicitors’ offices in Dublin, the Refugee Legal Service and the Attorney General’s office.

“In addition the placements scheme has a number of links with the legal system in the USA. Students can apply to be considered for a summer placement with the Los Angeles Federal Externship programme, the Los Angeles Juvenile Dependency court, the Public Defenders’ Office in San Francisco and the Electronic Privacy Information Centre in Washington DC.

“These opportunities provide students with an invaluable insight into the workings of the law in practice, and allow students to make informed career choices into the future.”

Orla Joyce, head of legal at Heineken Ireland; Louise O’Brien-Kenny of Glanbia Ingredients Ireland; and Ross O’Dwyer, co-founder of Pundit Arena will speak on behalf of placement providers from both schools.

UCC work placements are integrated formally into programmes in the Business degrees and Law degrees or offered as part of summer placement programmes in Law.

Rachel O’Sullivan, who graduated from the BCL (International) programme in October 2015, completed a two week placement at the Office of the Attorney General.

A key highlight of her time at the Office was the chance to observe the challenge to the result of the same sex marriage referendum in the High Court and Court of Appeal.

Ms O’Sullivan said: “This was a unique opportunity not only to attend these significant constitutional proceedings but to have responsibility for preparing a briefing note for other members of the Office.

“Therefore when I finished at the Office I left with a feeling that in addition to obtaining an immeasurable benefit from my experience, I had also made a contribution to the work of the Office during my placement.”