Louth students take part in Bar of Ireland Transition Year programme

The Bar of Ireland took Louth students inside the court room last week with the commencement of its Look into Law Transition Year Programme.

Now in its eleventh year, the programme welcomed students representing 60 schools from across Ireland. Of the participating schools 23 of these were DEIS schools, accounting for 38%, reflecting The Bar of Ireland’s continued commitment to diversity and outreach.

Louth students were well-represented with students from St Mary's Diocesan School, St.Mary's College and Drogheda Grammar School participating.

Established in 2015, the Look into Law programme has welcomed hundreds of students, some of which have gone to pursue a career at The Bar.  It offers Transition Year students a thorough understanding of the legal system, court proceedings, and the responsibilities of barristers.

Across the week students explored the legal world in an immersive way, gaining insight into the day-to-day life of a barrister, visiting Kings Inn and touring the historic Four Courts. They received an address by the Chief Justice, The Hon Mr Donal O’Donnell and took part in an audience with High Court Judge The Hon Ms Justice Mary Rose Gearty.

On the final day, students took what they learned during the week and participated in a mock trial allowing a realistic insight into the Irish legal system.

The overall aim of the programme is to provide a unique opportunity and access to the legal world that will both inform and inspire students of all backgrounds to consider a legal career as they pursue future studies and careers.

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Speaking about this year’s programme, Chair of the Council of The Bar of Ireland Seán Guerin SC said: "We are delighted to welcome another cohort of Transition Year students into the Look into Law programme. By engaging directly with the profession and seeing the law in action, students gain invaluable insights into how justice is administered and the vital role advocates play in society, embodying our commitment to broadening access to legal education and inspiring young people from diverse backgrounds to consider careers in law.”

For the first number of years the programme was fully in-person, however it has now evolved to take a hybrid approach, consisting of the first day online and three days in person. This year the online day was open to all schools that applied but were unsuccessful in the lottery that selected 60 schools to attend for the full programme.