196 / 462
GAZETTE
IMN
AGE
AGEMNJUNE 1993
Al ternat ive J ob Opportuni t ies for Sol ici tors
The Younger Members Committee
organised a seminar in association with
the Bank of Ireland on the subject of
"Solicitors - Alternative Job
Opportunities" on 7 May, last. The
Seminar was hosted in the Bank of
Ireland premises at 43 Eyre Square,
Galway (Ireland's culture capital) on a
weekend of stone splitting sunshine,
writes
Michael Nugent.
The purpose of the seminar was to
explore alternative job opportunities for
solicitors outside of traditional private
practice. In order to get practical advice
on this topic we set out to find solicitors
with really unexpected careers who
could swear that they got the job by
reason of their qualification. Initially we
had hoped to find a solicitor working in
an entirely bizarre area (a mercenary
soldier or market gardener would have
been nice), but in the end of the day we
had to settle for
Willie Scraggs, Pat
Flynn
and
Miriam Doyle.
Willie Scraggs is the Bank of Ireland
legal advisor for "Area West", which I
gather covers most places in the Galway
side of the Shannon. He spoke passion-
ately of his life and times working for
the bank and explained the spread of
experience which would be required for
those who might contemplate a job in
banking. Willie (whose real name
happens to be Maurice) gave us a
flavour of what it might be like to work
in this, a more traditional career, outside
of private practice.
Next on the list was Patrick Flynn, a
solicitor currently working with A & L
Goodbody in Dublin. Pat's claim to
fame is not so much that he is working
with A & L Goodbody, but that he
previously worked with Ulster Invest-
ment Bank as a Corporate Finance
Executive and subsequently spent four
years as a marketing executive for the
Dublin Docks Financial Services
Centre. Pat explained what was involved
in working in the world of finance and
was able to give an important insight
into the employer's side of viewing CVs
from aspiring finance solicitors. (Pat has
rejected more CVs than most). He
finished his talk by telling us all why,
after all the glories and benefits of
working in the world of finance, he
At the seminar were l-r: Pat Flynn, Solicitor, A & L Goodbody; Michael Nugent,
Solicitor, Younger Members Committee; Dermot Gaynor, Branch Manager, Bank of
Ireland; Antoinette Conole, Bank Officer, Bank of leland and John Shaw, Chairman,
Younger Members Committee.
chose to return to A & L Goodbody.
Miriam Doyle mixed entertainment with
information. She, who is Director of
Legal and External Affairs, with Coca
Cola Atlantic in Drogheda, had some
cautionary tales to tell. She told us what
to expect in a no-nonsense business
world. Her early days working for
Abbey Life were fraught with
misunderstandings. (She had to share a
common office and she even had to
clock in!) Now things are changed and
Miriam has the position and respect she
deserves. The keynote of her address
was that if you get your foot in the door
of a commercial or financial company
you can almost make your own job.
Miriam was supportive, enthusiastic,
informative and witty. I still wonder
what is an "External Affair".
A shy audience asked few questions
during the lecture but afterwards had no
difficulty in coming to grips with the
extravagant hospitality of the Bank of
Ireland. A buffet meal of several courses
and ample wine were laid on. When the
manager,
Jim Sweeney
, told me that he
was going to get the Harp I asked for a
pint also, but he returned with a large
musical instrument instead, and an
accomplished harpist to set the mood.
(Sorry Jim.) Jim Sweeney was the
manager responsible for this largesse
and to him we owe our thanks. We also
owe a debt to
Maura Harrison
and
Marion Fallon
(who gave over two of
her annual leave days to organise this
event) of the Bank of Ireland for their
hard work and support. Without them it
would not have been possible.
Also on the thank you list must be
Joan
Doran
of the Law Society for her
patience, Willie, Pat and Miriam for
their time, effort and bravery, and of
course all of those from Galway and its
environs who gave up Coronation Street
and the Late Late Show to come to the
seminar and listen to us.
Michael Nugent,
Younger Members Committee.
P.S.
See the notice on page 187 about a
similar seminar being held in Cork on
23 July.
•
Mara-Cycle in Aid of
Benevolent Fund
Harriet Kinahan,
Solicitor and
Education Officer in the Law Society
and
Alison Moore,
Solicitor, Sheedy
Hickey & Co., are taking part in the Co-
operation North Mara-Cycle on June
26/27 and will be raising money for the
Solicitors' Benevolent Fund.
The mara-cycle involves cycling from
Dublin to Belfast on Thursday, 27 June,
1993 and then cycling from Belfast back
to Dublin on the following day. Both the
cyclists would greatly appreciate
support from members of the pro-
fession. Please send your contribution to
Harriet Kinahan,
c/o The Law School,
Blackhall Place, Dublin 7.
•
174