Ronan Daly Jermyn – Encouraging Diversity in the Legal Profession through New UCC Scholarship

31 May 2021

Leading Irish law firm Ronan Daly Jermyn (RDJ) has donated €40,000 to support students from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Backgrounds studying Law at University College Cork (UCC).

The company will sponsor the Ronan Daly Jermyn Diversity Scholarship, with successful students receiving a scholarship of €5,000 as well as a work placement or internship with RDJ. The donation will be made over four years, commencing in the upcoming ‘21/’22 academic year, and will benefit two UCC undergraduate Law students each year. 

In order to be eligible for the scholarship, students must be from a Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic (BAME) Background, registered on any BCL programme at UCC and achieve or expect to achieve at least a 2H1 average in their first year results in Law modules. 

Eligible students are invited to submit an application form including a short personal statement of no more than 300 words and a 1,000-word essay discussing the topic, “The Need for Diversifying the Legal Profession in Ireland”. A shortlist of applicants will then be selected for interview with a panel consisting of representatives from RDJ and UCC School of Law, with the recipients chosen based on their interview, application form, academic results and the short essay.

For more details on how to apply for this exciting opportunity, visit: https://www.ucc.ie/en/scholarships/undergrad/blug/b-lpgrdjds/ 

Commenting on the scholarship, Richard Martin, Managing Partner at Ronan Daly Jermyn, said:

We are delighted to partner with the UCC School of Law to offer these scholarships, which will nurture the talents of students from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Backgrounds and enable them to achieve their academic and career goals. The scholarship also encourages diversity and inclusion in the Irish legal profession, which is a key priority for RDJ. We look forward to welcoming UCC students from BAME Backgrounds to work with us as interns during the course of their studies, enriching our workplace and building on our commitment to encouraging meaningful ethnic diversity in the legal profession.

The UCC School of Law is a leading international School, committed to excellence and innovation in legal education and research, with the aim of shaping a just society. Ranked among the top 100 Law Schools worldwide, students receive a first-class education from a vibrant community of legal scholars who are leading experts in their fields. The School offers a wide range of high-quality programmes at undergraduate and postgraduate level, such as the flagship BCL Pathways undergraduate degree, where students have the opportunity to specialise with a clinical placement or international exchange component. UCC School of Law graduates are career-ready, equipped with the legal knowledge and practical workplace skills needed to take on the challenges that we face in today’s world.

RDJ is one of Ireland’s top 10 full-service law firms. With offices in Cork, Dublin, Galway and London and a team of more than 260 people, the firm offers industry-focused legal advice in areas such as corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, commercial property, employment, tax and dispute resolution.  Their clients include scaling and established Irish companies, multinationals, financial institutions and global insurance companies. RDJ has been named as a leading firm in Chambers Europe and The Legal 500. Visit RDJ's website at: https://www.rdj.ie/ 

Update 14 July 2021: The eligibility criteria for this scholarship have been extended to include students who have achieved or who expect to achieve at least a 2H2 average in their first year results in law modules, with a new application deadline of 31 July 2021.