Trainee
- B.C.L. (International), University College Dublin (2006)
- LL.M. (International Legal Studies), New York University School of Law (2007)
- New York Bar (2007)
My legal career began in UCD in 2002, where I was active in the Students' Union, Athletics Club and Formula One Society. I spent the third year of my degree studying at DePaul University College of Law in Chicago. After completing the academic year at DePaul, I interned at a Chicago law firm for the summer, where I worked primarily on civil rights litigation. On returning to Dublin, I attended the presentations of the various firms and was most impressed by both the people I met from Arthur Cox and the opportunities the firm offers trainees, including secondments with clients and a bursary to pursue further education.
"The firm organises weekly seminars for trainees on the work involved in each practice group."
Seán Ó Loingsigh
My experience of American law school, combined with a keen interest in International Law, lead me to apply for admission to the graduate programme at NYU Law. The Trainee Committee was most encouraging in this regard and agreed to defer the start date of my traineeship. The year at NYU was one of the most challenging and enjoyable experiences of my life, bringing me into contact with leading academics and giving me exposure to a broad range of subjects, including Admiralty, International Environmental Law and U.S. Constitutional Law. Living and studying in the heart of Greenwich Village was an unforgettable experience and I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone considering a course of postgraduate study. I graduated in May 2007 and remained in New York for the summer, attending bar review classes and sitting the bar exam in July 2007.
When I joined Arthur Cox in June 2008, I was apprehensive about working in areas in which I had no previous experience. However, the firm organises weekly seminars for trainees on the work involved in each practice group. Trainees are also given the opportunity to participate in a programme of lunchtime Trainee Development Seminars, which is aimed at identifying and sharing the key skills and knowledge required to become an effective solicitor. Trainees prepare a short presentation on a particular project or developing area of the law that they encountered during their rotation or during a course of outside study funded by the firm. Presentations are then delivered in a boardroom to an audience of fellow trainees and audience participation is encouraged, so that trainees quickly become comfortable with posing and responding to questions and contributing to discussions in the context of a formal meeting. This can have the added benefit of calming nerves when attending client, practice group or company board meetings as a trainee for the first time.
One of the advantages of choosing a traineeship with Arthur Cox is that, where possible, an effort is made to accommodate requests from trainees seeking to gain experience in a particular area. This means that a trainee can take full advantage of the numerous niche areas of practice within the firm or, if he or she wishes, focus on obtaining a placement with a client or a rotation in the London or Belfast office.
