Transition Times: Trying out a career helps you discover if it's right for you. This week: law
One of the main problems when you're deciding what to do after you leave school is the impracticality of the Leaving Certificate. How are people whose core academic experience consists of studying history, grammar and mathematical theorems supposed to know what they will enjoy in the real world? Law in particular throws up this problem. If you want to be a solicitor or a barrister, a Leaving Cert education gives you little idea of what's involved.
The result is that, although most people manage well, there are probably a couple in every year who have watched too many courtroom dramas, such as Law & Order or The Practice, and are doing law because they fancy shouting "Objection!" while defending a client in court.
"It's just so difficult to know," says Mags Walsh, manager of the law faculty at University College Cork. "We would highly recommend that someone get work experience with a solicitor or a barrister before deciding to study law."
The substance of the experience is not as important as the opportunity to learn what solicitors and barristers do. This means that a number of options are open to students who want to learn about the profession.
The first and best option is to contact a solicitor or barrister, to see if you can spend a week, or even a day, shadowing them. A well-written CV, demonstrating a flair for English and communication, is a good start. Anything that shows an ability to conduct research is a bonus. You can find a list of solicitors in your area by visiting www.lawsociety.ie. Go to the directory of firms and key in your location. To find barristers in your area, go to www.lawlibrary.ie and click on "Search for a barrister".
If you can't get a week's experience, or if a number of people in your year are interested in the legal profession, it could be worth trying to get a speaker into your classroom. The most important task is to find out what you might be letting yourself in for; an experienced solicitor or barrister could certainly enlighten you.
Walsh believes there are skills that somebody interested in law can develop at this stage. "There are no subject requirements as such, but a good standard of English helps. If you like history or essay writing, you'll probably enjoy the research end of law. An ability to communicate is important, and an interest in current affairs is an advantage.
"Law affects every aspect of people's lives. There are so many different types of law that if somebody has a general interest in what goes on in the world, they will probably find an area of law to suit them."
