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Law Society Committee President - Bernard White whitebernarda@yahoo.com Vice President - Graham Butler graham@grahambutler.ie President - Bernard White lawsociety@gcd.ie The Griffith College Law Society was established in the 2008-2009 academic year. In its inaugural year it has been the strongest and most active student society within the college network.
With backing from both the Student Union and the Law Faculty itself, its aim is to create an excellent source of both academic and social legal events. The law society of Griffith College is extended to all college students who have an interest in the political and legal sectors of both Ireland and overseas.
It aims to embrace the legal cultures and aid students in forging links with different law schools and principal people in the areas of the justice and political systems.
Law Society - key events for the academic year 2010-11
October to December 2010
Freshers week: The start of October say huge interest in the Law Society with over 100 new peoples joining the society. This set the wheels in motion for a successful year.
October 13th: Mrs Justice Catherine McGuinness Visit: Retired Supreme Court Justice, former Senator, and President of the Law Reform visits Griffith College provided an insight into the work and challenges facing the Law Reform Commission. There was a fantastic turnout and all present found its very worth while.
The Honourable Mrs. Justice Catherine McGuinness, Bernard White (President), Eoin McKenna (Law student) and Graham Butler (Vice President)
December 7th - Justice Frank Clarke was invited and spoke to the law students on the Courts and Legal Profession.
Judge Frank Clarke is the Griffith College Judge in Residence, Chairman of the Referendum Commission and Former Chairman of the Bar Council.
Both the Law Society and the 1st, 2nd and 3rd year students were delighted to hear first hand from a sitting High Court Judge about the operation of the Courts and the legal profession
January to May 2011
January
The Law Society took a well deserved break for everyone to concentrate on their examinations and snow man making!
February
The Law Society launched its now annual Career Seminar programme. This was support by the law faculty and involved a number of industry speakers and careers experts to talk to the law faculty students about the traditional law careers and also careers in industry.
The initial sessions will be group sessions where there will be workshop session comprising of a lecture lasting 45 minutes to one hour followed by a Q&A session of a similar duration where graduates can ask questions in a group forum on various related matters.
The main emphasis will be on a practical experiential approach where the emphasis will be on assisting all attendees on ways to find work or academic course opportunities suited to their own skills, experience, career objectives and ambitions.
All sessions will be recorded for review by students, all sessions will have handouts, all of which will be posted to the career advice Moodle page.
Guest speakers will be used along with PowerPoint shows and mini videos on the do's and don'ts of particular skills being outlined.
Session 1 - Thursday 10th March 2011, 5pm to 6.30pm - Introduction, supports & self-belief
Session 2 - Thursday 24th March 2011, 5pm to 6.30pm- Curriculum Vitae and cover letter
Session 3 -- Thursday 31st March 2011, 5pm to 6.30pm - Finding career opportunities
Session 4 - Thursday 7th April 2011, 5pm to 6.30pm - Planning for an interview
March
The Law Society announced in March that on a weekly basis, court visits would be organised. This is an essential experience and insight into the actual working of a number of Courts. Each week a different court is chosen.
As part of our policy of inviting in industry experts on a weekly basis to our law programmes we were delighted when Dr. Maurice Manning, President of the Irish Human Rights Commission, Chancellor of the National University of Ireland and Former TD and Senator in the Oireachtas agreed to give a guest talk to our LLM and LLB students.
It was a fantastic experience for the students to meet, discuss and hear Dr, Manning.
Photographed are Dr. Maurice Manning and Dr Ronan Feehily, Course Director of Post Graduate Programmes in the Law Faculty.
Judge Frank Clarke holds the position of Judge in Residence in the Law Faculty and on Wednesday 2nd March he addressed a joint LLB/LLM class in Intellectual Property Law on his judgement in Ranbaxy and principles pertaining to infringement in patent law.
On the 9th March he addressed a separation of powers lecture which was of specific interest to students of constitutional law (first years) but also of interest to those studying human rights law and public law in general.April
Wednesday 13th April 2011 sees Judge Frank Clarke deliver his annual talk to students, friends and the academic team of the Griffith Law school.
This years talk is on The Convention on Human Rights in Ireland. Past, Present and Future. The talk takes place in the Conference Centre beginning at 6.30pm. Cheese and wine will be served in a pre-talk reception at 6pm.
The Convention on Human Rights and Ireland
Past, Present and Future
Mr. Justice Frank Clarke
Griffith College, Dublin
13th April, 2011
May
The annual trip to the Old Bailey is announced for May, soon after the final examination.
Bernard White, President of the Griffith College Law Society is delighted to announce the date for the annual visit by Griffith College law students to the Old Bailey court complex in London.
As places are limited, please contact Bernard on 087-7446380 or email him on whitebernarda@yahoo.com
Schedule 2009-2010
The law society schedule for the months of September, October and November reads as follows- Freshers week: Sign up's in the marquee for new students and also emails sent out to lecturers to aid us in getting the 2nd and 3rd years signed up.
- Begining of October: Law society hoodies availible for sale
- October 21st: 7pm Guest talk by Mr.James Hamilton DPP
- October 28th: Law Film
- Novemeber 4th: 7pm Guest talk by Brian Moss of the Garda Ombudsman Commissioner
- November 9th: Reading Week
There will be two further speakers still to be arranged - January 2010: A tour for second and third year student 2009-2010 students to the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg from the 25th to 29th of January. (most places sold)
Anyone with ideas, suggestions or seeking out events being organised by the Griffith College Law Society, please contact legaleagles@gcd.ie or the Law Faculty.
Activities from 2008-2009 were:
- six meeting were held during the year and large interest coming for the full-time law students.
- the Law Society supported the Law Faculty in promoting many of the guest lectures
- the most prominent being Dr. Carol Coulter, the Legal Affairs Editor in The Irish Times.
- the Law Society also promoted and had a large turn out at the trip to the four courts in Dublin and all who went along enjoyed the day immensely taking in murder trials and other supreme court issues.
- a newsletter was produced and was circulated to all involved in the Society with recent cases and minutes of the last meetings alongside any other relevant law materials.
- initial plans for next year have been discussed including a possible away trip in November to the European courts.
- student recruitment to the Law Society has been organised through the fresher's week with meetings being held the new Student Union President, Jacquie Ryan and Clubs and Societies officer Paddy Daly.
Law Society
