Southern Law Association & UCC School of Law Careers Information Evening

12 Feb 2026

The School of Law was delighted to collaborate again with the Southern Law Association (SLA) to host the annual Careers Information Evening for Law students on 11 February 2026. 

The event attracted a capacity audience to the Aula Maxima.   

Professor Áine Ryall, Chair of the School of Law Liaison Committee, opened the event, acknowledging the close connection between the School of Law and members of the legal profession in Cork.  There is a long-standing and highly valued collaboration between ‘town and gown’ through the activities of the Liaison Committee.

In their opening remarks, Jonathan Lynam, President of the Southern Law Association and Joyce O’Sullivan, External Liaison Officer, UCC Law Society, highlighted the value of the event in raising awareness of career opportunities in Cork and the strong collaboration between the School of Law, the legal profession and UCC Law Society.

The purpose of the event was to showcase the range of career opportunities available in Cork.   Students had the opportunity to meet informally with both experienced and early-career practitioners who are based in Cork City and its environs.  Our colleagues in the legal profession were on hand to discuss career opportunities and to provide information about the various areas of practice in which they specialise.  These include, for example, litigation, crime, property and probate, commercial / banking, family, immigration, alternative dispute resolution (ADR) etc.  Insights were also available on careers ‘in-house’ and in the public sector, including in the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Members of the Cork Bar were in attendance to speak with students about a career as a barrister, while representatives from the Law School at the Law Society of Ireland provided information and valuable insights on the route to qualification as a solicitor.  

The event offered a welcome opportunity for students to meet practitioners, members of the School of Law and their fellow students in an informal setting.

We were delighted to collaborate with UCC Law Society to support and promote this event, in particular the Auditor, Ronan O’Keeffe, and External Liaison Officer Joyce O’Sullivan.

L-R - Ruth Tracey, Law School, Law Society of Ireland; Brendan Cunningham, SLA Council & Chair, Law Society of Ireland Education Committee; Joyce O’Sullivan, External Liaison Officer, UCC Law Society; Jonathan Lynam (SLA President)

The School of Law is indebted to the President and Council of the Southern Law Association, the Cork Bar and all of our practitioner colleagues who attended on the night.   

A special word of thanks is due to Juli Rea and Kieran Moran for taking the lead in organising such a successful event and to fellow Liaison Committee members Brendan Cunningham and Claire Collins SC.