Blonde woman in white top

Co-op was my first entrée into the professional world of work. For me, it was quite a steep learning curve – like I said, I hadn’t a clue at the beginning.

Bethan Leonard shares some very relatable insights into her co-op placement. Like many others co-op was her first experience in a corporate environment and a big change from the home comforts of UL. 

Tell us a bit about yourself, what course did you study in UL, what has your career looked like to date?

I studied Law with a minor in Economics, graduating in 2015. After doing my FE1 exams, I went to Blackhall Place – which is a really enjoyable part of the solicitor’s training. I joined McCann Fitzgerald, a large law firm in Dublin, and completed my training with them. I did rotations in different sections – which was a great experience because it gave me a feel for different areas of law like litigation, aviation and real estate. I qualified as a real estate solicitor in 2020 and worked in that area for two years. But I was still really drawn to aviation – I guess it was the pace, the buzz, the variety of clients, the everyday feel of the business. So, I joined Arthur Cox’s to work as an aviation solicitor in 2022. 

Where did you do your co-op? 

For my co-op, I worked at the Maples Group, an international law firm in Dublin. To be honest, I really didn’t have a clue about the legal world when I started there. I worked as a paralegal on their fund's investment team. When I look back on it, my co-op was a platform for developing lots of practical skills that I could never have acquired in an academic environment alone. And it gave me a very realistic picture of day-to-day life in the legal profession - and its demands. It also presented opportunities to network and build professional relationships with colleagues and mentors.  

What impact did co-op have on your career? 

Even though I had had tons of part-time jobs while I was a student, my co-op was my first entrée into the professional world of work. For me, it was quite a steep learning curve – like I said, I hadn’t a clue at the beginning. However, I knew after my co-op that I wanted to work with a large legal firm when I graduated. The experience was a great confidence-builder. I also found that it really prepared me for graduate interviews – just to be able to tell that professional story and evidence my skills was so helpful. 

What piece of advice would you give to students going on co-op now?

I would say – try to maintain an open mind and adopt a give-it-a-go attitude. Don’t expect co-op to be the answer to every career question – it’s really about dipping your toe into the world of work. Remember to treat every task – even the more mundane ones – as an opportunity to learn. And finally, don’t be hard on yourself. You’re a student and you’re there to learn lots, not to know everything 😊.