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O’Connor Solicitors is one of Ireland’s most respected legal practices, and has been serving their corporate and personal clients for many years from our Dublin offices at 8 Clare Street. They have built their reputation on an unstinting commitment to exceptional service combined with a unique understanding of their clients’ needs.

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They recognise that any legal issue which you present to us will have a significant effect on your life, your finance, your career or your business, and their solicitors offer a wealth of practical experience to smooth your journey through business, employment, healthcare, family and property law.

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I chose this placement as I am interested in Law and hope to someday pursue it as a career. If there is one reason why people look up to the law, it is because it gives them hope for justice and equality. When people ponder over whether is a law degree good, its this degree that is their pathway to providing justice. History is a great subject for law and I hope to continue it for my leaving certificate, as it helps to develop your essay writing skills. History also teaches you to read, think critically and develop logical arguments – all of which are key skills for a law student to learn early on.

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On the first day of my work experience at O’Connors Solicitors, I came into the reception and was greeted by the staff. I was handed over a sheet of paper to sign agreeing not to disclose any private information shared in the office. I was then given a tour of the building and was introduced to all the staff members. I then began to sort through some Cheques and organize them chronologically. This took a long time as there were a lot of cheques to go through. In the end I had them put away and in order. I then took my break at 1. The break was one hour long. When I returned I began looking through some interesting medical cases. I then updated their law books and replaced the outdated pages. I sorted through some post and filed some cases. I sat in a meeting with Ruth, it was an online zoom meeting. She was dealing with a client who had lost their mother and they were sorting through their will. I sat and listened to their conversation. Unfortunately I cannot share too many details due to the confidentiality formed I signed at the beginning of the day. When the meeting was over I took the dart home.

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I think I got on very well. I was able to carry out all the tasks that were given to me. They were doable not too difficult however not exactly that easy. I think if I would have had different folders it would have been so much easier to sort out the cheques as it was difficult to separate them using only one folder. I think if I was able to read through the case file before the meeting with Ruth it would have been easier to follow the meeting.

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On the second day of my work experience in O‘Connors Solicitors I was lucky to go to court. I sorted through some files that morning and then I headed on to court with Sinead. We took the bus down to the four-courts. This was my first time being at the four courts. I had to go through security and it was quite similar to airport security where I had to put all my belongings onto the rotating band so it could be scanned. The days of the public being allowed to walk through the grand entrance of the Four Courts building to witness justice at close hand has come to an end for security reasons. Access through the main doors of the Gandon designed Four Courts and of the nearby Aras Ui Dhalaigh are now closed as part of new security arrangements. Members of the public now have to undergo security checks and have their bags electronically scanned before being allowed to enter the Four Courts complex. Handbags being carried into the complex are electronically scanned at the entrances. Judges, barristers, solicitors and legal staff are exempt from having to pass through the electronic scanners. I sat in the court room and listened to the hearing taking place, Sinead was looking for a Drinking and Dancing cert for her client. The hearing went by quite quickly. When I returned back to the office I began photocopying the case files. That took me until the end of the day. I took the dart home.

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I think I got on well. I was able to carry out all the tasks that were given to me. The hardest task was the photocopying as the photocopying machine kept getting all the jammed. I had to go through the files before hand to make sure they were all straightened. I had to go through them and take out all the staples so they would get stuck in the printer. This took a while but after some time I got the hang of it.

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On the third and final day of work experience at O’Connor Solicitors. I went up to the office and began sorting through the post. I then had a big pile of files to sort through. I began sorting each file into their individual folder. When I had finished with the filing I continued photocopying. I had to make 2 copies of each file and I had to make sure they were not two sided. So the two sided pages had to be photocopied into two separate pages. The files were for the court and the court would not allow files that were two sided. This wasted a lot of paper.

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The last day at the solicitors office was a different mix of emotions. I was happy to have another day there but sad it was my last. I really enjoyed working with there team and overall it was an amazing experience. There trickiest part of the day was the photocopying. It took so long and it used a lot of paper. I thought this was not very sustainable.

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Hayes McGrath LLP was established in 1990 by Jan Hayes and Terry McGrath. The firm has flourished across three decades and employs a team of experienced solicitors and support staff. The Partners of the firm today include Jan Hayes, David Fenton, Andrew Butler, Ciarán McIntyre, Yvonne O’Hanlon and Aileen Dolan. Hayes McGrath LLP employed Mary White as the firm’s first Practice Manager in 2019.

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Hayes McGrath LLP is proud to offer attentive, flexible and efficient service built upon five key guiding principles. Professional Service, Ethics, Personable Relationships, Expert Advice and Reliability. These values are the basis of our clients' trust and confidence and form the foundations of our strong and loyal relationships.

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I chose this placement as I am interested in Law and hope to someday pursue it as a career. If there is one reason why people look up to the law, it is because it gives them hope for justice and equality. When people ponder over whether is a law degree good, its this degree that is their pathway to providing justice. History is a great subject for law and I hope to continue it for my leaving certificate, as it helps to develop your essay writing skills. History also teaches you to read, think critically and develop logical arguments – all of which are key skills for a law student to learn early on.

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I arrived at the office at 9.30 that morning and was greeted by their receptionist Therese. I was handed a work experience computer and began working with Niamh and Iris. We sorted through some files and organized them by case. After they were all organized I went downstairs to start scanning the hard files. I scanned them on the printer, this took a long time as the paper kept getting jammed with all the paper. After scanning all the files I uploaded them onto the computer. When they were in my files on my computer, I had to section them into different folders. I separated the costs, rba’s, mni’s, legal review sheet, book of pleadings. I then had to update them onto Keyhouse, an online software that had all the cases on it. This online software helped us reduce the amount of paper being used daily and gave solicitors the option to work from home and still have access to their files and cases. I then went for my break at 1. The break was one hour long. I walked around town and got some lunch to eat. When I returned from my lunch I helped niamh do some more filing. I sorted through a big pile of cases. When I had finished with the filing I got to read through some interesting cases. I finished at 3.30 and took the dart train home.

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I got on well the first day. I carried out all the tasks. They took longer than I first anticipated but in I was pleased with the end result. Their online software was new and different to anything I have used before but after playing around with it after some time I finally got the hang of it.

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On my second day of work experience at Hayes McGrath I came into the office. I began reading through the book of pleadings of a case that was on in the courts that day. I was given the opportunity to go to the four courts with Miriam, of course I agreed. I took a taxi with Ian to the four courts and then I met Miriam. This was my second time being at the four courts. I had to go through security and it was quite similar to airport security where I had to put all my belongings onto the rotating band so it could be scanned. The days of the public being allowed to walk through the grand entrance of the Four Courts building to witness justice at close hand has come to an end for security reasons. Access through the main doors of the Gandon designed Four Courts and of the nearby Aras Ui Dhalaigh are now closed as part of new security arrangements. Members of the public now have to undergo security checks and have their bags electronically scanned before being allowed to enter the Four Courts complex. Handbags being carried into the complex are electronically scanned at the entrances. Judges, barristers, solicitors and legal staff are exempt from having to pass through the electronic scanners.I went into the court room. The case was about a car crash and a man was being sued for the crash. It was interesting to see each barrister speak and vocalize their opinion. I got too watch the witnesses and the Gardai come in. The case was very interesting. I stayed and watched the trial till the end of the day. I then went home at around five o’ clock

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Today was my favourite day by far, it was so interesting to see a real life court case take place in front of my eyes. Reading through the book of pleadings that morning really helped me follow the case.

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On the third and final day of my work experience in Hayes Mc Grath i went into the office and began uploading files onto Keyhouse. I then sorted through some different cases. Organized them by their different categories. I then helped with some more photocopying and scanning.

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I didn’t do that much on the last day, it was mainly just filing and scanning. I think by the end of the week I had become a master at these tasks.

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I have had my first meeting with ms o Toole. We talked about my future, college courses and careers. A job is generally something that you do mostly to have gainful employment, whereas a career is something that you do because you are passionate about it. Both are valid forms of work, and people often seek out different jobs or careers throughout their lifetime as their needs, capabilities, financial situation, or interests change. Ms O’Toole and Ms Cullen provided career counselling that helped me decide what type of jobs or career path may be of interest to me. This can be helpful when you’re trying to choose courses for college. They opened my eyes to more courses that suit my interest. How satisfied you are with your line of work can have a huge impact on your overall life satisfaction since people spend a significant portion of their waking hours at work. Having a career you love can enhance your happiness, self-confidence, and productivity. Similarly, disliking or even hating your job can lead to burnout, depression, anxiety and decreased overall life satisfaction.

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I had my first meeting with ms Mullen. Ms Mullen is our guidance counselor. Guidance counsellors advise students and young people so that they can make informed choices about their future in relation to employment, education and training. Their responsibilities  include assessing ability and potential in students, providing one-to-one counselling, and liaising with other professionals in this area. I told her my thoughts and worries about my future and she listened and guided me. I feel that our one on one meetings definitely helped me. I look forward to our next meeting together.

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When I returned back from my studies abroad I met my new classmates. I was so happy to find out that we had new people in our year however I was sad to find that there were others who had left. I met Stella, Bree, Yuzu, Rae, Claudia, Paula, Adrian, Javier, Bruno, Hannah. Friends bring more happiness into our lives than virtually anything else. Friendships have a huge impact on your mental health and happiness. Good friends relieve stress, provide comfort and joy, and prevent loneliness and isolation. Developing close friendships can also have a powerful impact on your physical health.

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I am part of the graduation committee. Myself ad the other members of the graduation committee are helping put together our graduation. We have regular meetings were we discuss our plans and how we should prepare for the graduation. I am so happy to be part of this committee and i am lucky that I can have a voice and say in what happens. I look forward for the graduation.

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We went on a trip to white river park with our motor class. When we arrived we were separated into three different groups and three different workshops to do. The first workshops was in the garage. We went down to the garage and were introduced to our instructor Joe. Joe showed us the different parts of the cars and how to change the out the oil. We then took turns getting into the car and doing the reactivity test. The reactivity test was testing how fast we responded and reacted. I sat in the car and had one foot rested on the acceleration pedal and the other on the clutch. The screen in front showed a black screen and then out of no where two red squares would pop up. As soon as you see the red squares you quickly step the break. The program then calculates how fast you pressed the brake. We all competed to get the fasted score possible. After that workshop we took a break and went straight to the track. We got into a car with our instructor Clare, and my friends zoe and Kiara. Clare first drove around the track and instructed us on how to drive. Then we took turns driving the car. When it was my turn I got in the front seat and put my seatbelt on. I started the car and drove slowly around the track. I learnt how to use the indicators and window wipers. I parked the car and perfected my turns. We played music on the speaker and sang along. I really enjoyed driving the car and I look forward to getting my license . The last workshop was in a room where we watched a presentation on the risks of driving under the influence of drugs or substances. We learnt what to do and what not to do whilst driving. I learnt a lot from this presentation and i think it will help me in the future when i get my license.

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The school arranged a Segway Experience to come to the
school. This is supposed to be a
great laugh that builds teamwork
and communication skills while
also having a good bit of fun. The
company doing this workshop
specialise in coming to schools
and are called emovement. Segways are really easy to handle, but still taking safety precautions never harmed anyone. So we made sure to wear a helmet and a couple of safety pads. Then, the first thing you must understand about Segways is that they are designed to imitate your body's posture and movement. So, if you want it to be still, you just have to remain calm! There is no need of a good balance, because the Segway will balance itself and this is exactly what makes it easy to use! The only thing you need to do is to lean backward or forward.

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This week we used the
Road Safety Authority's Virtual
Reality headsets. Virtual Reality, or VR, is the use of computer technology to create a simulated environment which can be explored in 360 degrees. Unlike traditional interfaces, VR places the user inside the virtual environment to give an immersive experience. The aim of the use of these were to draw your
attention to the harsh reality of
road collisions and the effect they
can have on not only the people
involved in the crash but also the
families of those involved.

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Click here to listen to the music concert 

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Click here to listen to the music concert 

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https://t.co/BU5ddLRSBU

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I took part in the school music concert. I play the piano and the classical guitar. I enjoy performing on stage and i felt as though this was a wonderful opportunity for me to share my music. I loved hearing everyone else play. The concert was a brilliant success all thanks to our music teacher Ms Howard.

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Today at assembly I was awarded the academic excellence award today for my outstanding results in my JCPA. It was first held in the hall and streamed online however it kept getting cut up so we moved out to the back pitch. We all gathered together as mr Walsh called out everyone who was awarded the academic excellence. When he called out my name I stood up and received my certificate and a pen. I am very proud of myself.