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Editor
Law Society Gazette
Law Society
Blackhall Place
Dublin 7
Dear Editor
As an Irish lawyer who has been
practising for over twenty years in
France, it was extremely heartening to
read that an Irish university has
established a business law course with
a strong component of the national
law of a European country and its
national language which, in the case
of the U.C.D. degree, is that of
France. I would like to express some
personal views on its relevance to
improving the job prospects of Irish
law graduates in France and
elsewhere.
Considering that some entrants to the
profession in Ireland may be required
to pursue their careers elsewhere, our
law faculties have a key role to play in
preparing them to take advantage of
the very real job opportunities which
exist in continental Europe. Young
Irish lawyers seeking employment
abroad, whether through lack of
prospects at home or through personal
ambition to practice in a foreign
jurisdiction, should not be forced to
enter the rat race of the big law firms
of London, New York or other mega-
centres of legal practice in the
English-speaking world when careers
which are at least as rewarding in
professional terms, and often much
more so in terms of fulfilment as
individuals, are available elsewhere -
provided one has the language and the
legal training.
While the sceptics might be inclined
to view the UCG course as a slightly
exotic academic experiment, in fact, it
is very much in line with the way in
which other universities in Europe
have been redefining their approach to
legal education (although the UCG
scheme is probably even more
necessary in the Irish context because
of emigration). It is interesting to note ;
that a comparable course (that of the
Diplóme de Juriste Conseil
d'Entreprise) which is now provided
by all of the major universities in
France has become one of the most
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prestigious legal qualifications
available and a virtual guarantee of
job selection.
In her interesting article describing
the UCG course,
Sofie
Cacciaguidi
refers to the general lack of
proficiency in foreign languages
which prevails in Ireland (and, of
course, throughout the English-
speaking world). It has been my
'
experience that whatever their origin,
anglo-saxons invariably offer the
same explanations for this condition,
namely that English is spoken
everywhere, that time prevents one
from learning another language and
j
1
that other languages just seem so
; much more complicated compared
i
with the rather minimal rules of
English grammar.
While all of these explanations have
some foundation, I have also observed
in recent years that Continental
Europeans are becoming rather less
j
tolerant of chronic anglo-saxon
j
monolingualism. There is a perception
j that having been in what is now called
the European Union for over twenty
years, it is surely time that efforts
|
I
were made to communicate in the
j
language (or, better still, languages)
of one's neighbours.
j
Í
j
This perception is likely to increase
j for the coming generations for there
has been recognition on the Continent
that up to now, the UK and Irish
business communities have been
composed of members who were not
' used to practising foreign languages.
: The younger generation of Irish
I lawyers, however, will be expected to J
i be more proficient because their
!
| counterparts in Europe (with the
,
notable exception of the U.K.) have
realised the importance of foreign
languages, at least in the field of
commercial law.
By way of illustration, a survey
published in December last and which !
was undertaken among one thousand
j
French in-house corporate counsel
revealed that 77% of respondents
practised one or more foreign
languages but the figure was much
higher for the under-30s.
Interestingly, nearly 14% of the latter
also held a legal qualification from a
foreign university. It is by no means
unusual in France to-day to find tri-
lingual and even quadri-lingual
'
members of the legal profession
j
among the younger generation. While
twenty years ago, knowledge of
English was considered advantageous |
for a French business lawyer,
nowadays, it is regarded as the bare
minimum for any one intending to
practice commercial law. In short,
lack of linguistic proficiency really
reduces career prospects so much so
j
that a French lawyer starting his
j
career but not having any foreign
language capabilities probably
only has a one in ten chance
i
of finding a job (and invariably not a
very interesting or well paid one
at that).
Having learned Irish, we have the
advantage of being more open to the
realisation that learning other
languages is within our grasp whereas
native English-speakers elsewhere
often assume that mastering another
language is an insurmountable
psychological barrier for all but those
who have an aptitude for languages.
Irish law graduates intending to
emigrate would deprive themselves of
really worthwhile job opportunities in
Europe through failure to speak at
least one European language. Native
English speaking lawyers are much in
demand both in private practice and in
industry but they are also invariably
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