Aoife Rock is a 3rd year Bachelor of Civil Law student with University College Dublin.
As part of the Clinical Legal Education Programme in UCD, I completed an internship with PILA for six weeks. Before I undertook this placement I had never worked in an office, let alone in a legal environment. I really didn’t know what to expect from the placement as I had never experienced law working in practice as the BCL course is primarily academically focused. Despite this, I think the placement surmounted anything I could have imagined and I enjoyed every minute of the time I spent with PILA.
My desk, which I sat at for the duration of my placement, was located just outside the call centre. Although I never actually worked on the phone lines, I felt that I learnt a lot just from listening to the other interns dealing with the queries that came in and listening to them giving the best information possible to the caller before referring them to a FLAC centre for legal advice. I was given the opportunity to attend talks that the other interns were receiving on managing the phone lines which is something that will be very helpful to me in the future.
As part of the module in UCD we had to complete training seminars before we went on placement which involved group discussions as well as individual presentations. I knew that my experience would be different to others carrying out placements in criminal and commercial firms after completing these seminars. I wasn’t going to have the stereotypical stories of an intern battling with photocopiers but I also was not naïve enough to think that I would be out protesting on the streets advocating for human rights. My experience was something of a middle ground in between these two extremes.
During my placement I was lucky enough to write some of the articles for the PILA bulletin on Public Interest Law issues. I also got to participate in their ‘Pro Bono Referral Scheme’ which matches NGOs to legal professionals so that they can get the legal assistance they need, free of charge. I attended court on several occasions and I also got to attend working group meetings. I attended the FLAC legal advice clinics which allowed me to shadow a solicitor giving legal advice to clients over a broad range of issues. In my final week, I attended two seminars which were organised by PILA on “LGBT rights and the Law” and another on “The Duty of the State in Constitutional Cases”.
With all of these experiences I learnt something new. One of the biggest things I learnt from my placement was that there are serious access to justice issues in the Irish Legal System. This is something that I never dawned on me before completing my placement. I didn’t recognise that there were so many obstacles in bringing Public Interest cases; this was due to my lack of knowledge and education in this area. I also didn’t appreciate how big of a factor costs were in litigation in general. I assumed that if you had a genuine case and if you could not afford it, you would be able to get access to civil legal aid. The reality is that the income threshold is so low for civil legal aid that the vast majority of people will not qualify. The system does not cater for those in between the extremely wealthy and those on very low incomes.
After completing my placement I understood the vital role that Public Interest Litigation plays in Irish Society. I had no idea how far reaching the consequences of succeeding in such litigation can have. Not only does it educate society on the injustices occurring under the current provisions in law, but it also paves the way for a change in perception of such issues and a change in the law. It has a much broader effect than just helping the person involved in the case itself, the Dr. Lydia Foy case being a prime example of this.
The placement has taught me that there is a lot more to the law and the legal system than what you are taught in University. It has definitely instilled how important completing pro bono work as a professional is to the legal system and the vital role that public interest litigation plays in ensuring that the justice system caters for all. The placement has broadened my awareness of what the role of law should be and the different ways in which its role can be achieved. This is something that I will always keep in mind during my final year of study in UCD.