Feeling like a barrister for a week!

    Work Experience in the Four Courts

                                   

                                 

 On Monday 29th of February, as part of my third week of work experience I decided to keep on the law route, as that is what I'm interested in doing when I'm older. I have already done two weeks in a law firm shadowing and working with solicitors in order to get an insight into what they do so that experience enticed me to take a week in the four courts shadowing barristers and sitting in on trials in various courts.

    Harry and Amber were also in the courts that week so it was great as we could sit together in court and keep each other company throughout the days. We also made our way into Dublin together each morning using both the Dart and The Luas. Public transport and I have become good allies throughout Fourth year, something I thought would have never happened as in previous years I have missed various darts and sometimes I would get on the wrong one!

                               I was meant to be shadowing a barrister called Rebecca who specialised mainly in human rights law and refugee law but she had a lot of private meetings that week so I mainly went around with Harry and Amber and their devil Roger. A devil is a person who is qualified to work as a barrister but must have two years’ experience working under a full time barrister before they can become self-employed and work fully as a barrister.

                                   Roger brought us around to various courts such as the district, circuit, high and supreme courts, informing us about different cases that were going on or were quite controversial. We even got to see the chief justice Susan Denham working away in the Supreme Court. Some of the trials we saw were in the newspapers the next day and it was really cool to be able to read about a case that I had been watching physically in court.

                                 

Watching the barristers at work was an exhilarating experience and something I could see myself working as in the future. Their work ethic and debating skills were something to be admired and every one of them was brilliant at laying out the facts of the case. It was also very interesting to watch the defence go up against the prosecution and debate the case.

We even met a barrister called Imogen McGrath who is an alumni of St Gerard's and a former head girl. We watched her win her case and then she brought us for coffee and we all reminisced about Gerard's life. She was a lovely woman and it was so nice to meet someone who attended St Gerard's.

                                  One of my favourite days was definitely the Thursday when we went to the CCJ or Criminal Courts of Justice. Amber, Harry, Roger and I took the luas from The Four Courts to the Criminal Courts and I was very excited as Criminal law is an area of law I am really interested in. When we arrived in the Courts we had to go through a full security check to make sure we had no narcotics or weapons hidden on us and as soon as we got through we were all in awe of the building. It was so modern and didn't seem to fit in with the atmosphere of crime and offence that surrounded the CCJ. The lifts were fascinating, fully glass and zoomed up to the floor of your choice. Roger told us the building was built in 2010 and the architects take great pride in the image and structure it still obtains today.

                                                                                                                                                              

                         In the CCJ we watched a murder trial which involved a man who hit another man on the head with a baseball bat resulting in death. The defence were saying that the defendant lost control of his mind and therefore did not know what he was doing but the prosecution argued that the defendant put on clothes, ties his shoelaces and purposely took the baseball bat and went to find the man, this had to prove that the defendant was guilty and in fact did not lose control of his mind. In the end, the defendant was found guilty by the grand jury and he is being sentenced tomorrow, 11^th March. He could face many years in prison or a lifetime.

                           Working in the four Courts was a fabulous experience and it has enabled me to really become interested in working as a barrister when I am older. I learnt new things and things I knew already were magnified and improved while in The Courts. I am very grateful to Rebecca Lacy, the barrister who granted me the experience to shadow in the four courts and also to Roger who showed me around and found the most interesting cases to watch!

 It was an amazing week and I enjoyed every minute of it.