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The purpose of the Chief Justice’s Summer Internship Programme for Law Students is to provide law students with experience that will be of assistance to them in their future careers.
The Chief Justice will allocate each student intern to a Judge or Judges of the Superior Courts based on the student’s educational attainments and areas of study. This will provide a unique learning opportunity for students and will allow them to see and experience the law in action.
Student interns will conduct legal research and will gain invaluable experience attending the various superior courts and observing courtroom proceedings. The School of Law provides a small stipend to the UL students who undertake this internship. The internship takes place over four weeks in the summer months.
For more details contact Dr Una Woods.
The Chief Justice Summer Internship is a fantastic opportunity for any law student. The reception dinner at the Honourable Society of King’s Inns was a great way to get to know the fellow interns. The internship began with a tour of the Four Courts and a tea reception with court service staff and Chief Justice Frank Clarke.
In honour of the late Mr Justice Adrian Hardiman, who was a previous speaker, there was a lecture series throughout the four weeks on a wide range of legal topics. This was extremely beneficial as it offered an insight into topics one would not otherwise encounter; for example, ‘The Life and Legal Cases of Daniel O’ Connell’ and ‘The Art of Advocacy’.
I was assigned to a judge of the High Court and Court of Appeal which provided me with a superb insight into how the theory of law is applied in practice. It also allowed me to experience areas of law outside the remit of what one studies in law school.
The judge assigned various research projects over the course of the internship which provided me with an opportunity to engage my research skills to explore numerous areas of law and different legal issues. A personal highlight was visiting the Drug Treatment Court. It is the only court of its kind and is solely focussed on rehabilitation. This was very interesting as it linked in with victimology and penology modules I had undertaken during the General LLM.
It gave an insight into a more subjective and flexible model of justice which is not focussed on punishment. The court service staff were very welcoming and the internship was structured to ensure students experience both the Four Courts and the Criminal Courts of Justice. I would highly recommend this internship programme to any law student as it affords the opportunity to hone one’s legal skills and learn the fundamentals from some of the best legal minds of the country.