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GAZETTE
JULY 1995
Clare Connellan - A Profile
Clare Connellan,
the Law Agent of ICC
Bank, has recently been appointed as
Chairman of the Legal Aid Board. She is
the first solicitor to be appointed to this
position which is a welcome and sensible
development. She is also the first woman to
be appointed to the position since it was
held by
Mella Carroll
who is now a High
Court judge. She is already enjoying the
challenges of her appointment which is for
an initial five year period. Clare took time
out from her busy schedule to talk to the
Gazette.
She says there are many live issues
facing the Board including the Civil Legal
Aid Bill which is currently going through
the Dail. "The Board has had a number of
meetings already and its members are very
enthusiastic", she said. "The Board has a
very challenging and exciting future and we
hope to continue to provide an efficient
service and set up structures to deal with
future expansion while ensuring the cost
effectiveness of the Legal Aid Scheme."
"This is all the more challenging" she
continues "given that the annual budget has
increased to £6,500,000 and the number of
law centres in the last year has increased
from seventeen to twenty-six. The Board
now employs 75 solicitors and there is
further expansion from 1996 planned."
Clare qualified as a solicitor in 1969. She
j
worked in her father's practice in
Ballyjamesduff in Co. Cavan until her
I father died and the family practice was
sold. She then moved to Dublin where she
! worked with
Barry O'Reilly
of P.J.
O'Reilly, Solicitors. "Barry O'Reilly was
an excellent teacher. Not only did he teach
! me law, but he also taught me a great deal
| about organisation and administration of a
practice", she said. He encouraged her to
get involved in such organisations as the
! Dublin Solicitors Bar Association and the
Society of Young Solicitors of which she
became Chairman. She also served as a
Council member of the Law Society for
five years and during that time she was a
! founder member of the Younger Members
| Committee, Chairman of the Premises
Committee and a member of the Education
Committee and Education Advisory
|
Committee. She is now a member of the
Disciplinary Tribunal. She enjoyed her time
on the Council but has had to give it up due
to family commitments. She had twins at
that time who are now 11 years old and
another child who is 12 years old. She is
married to Judge
Murrough Connellan,
a
District Court judge who is also a solicitor.
About sixteen years ago she was appointed
as a Solicitor in ICC Bank, specialising in
the commercial area of the law. Again she
says she was lucky to find herself working
for another "excellent teacher in
Brendan
O 'Leary".
Initially she was promoted to
Senior Solicitor, then to Deputy Law Agent
and then Law Agent, the position which
she currently holds. She has overall
responsibility for providing legal services
to the Bank. There are five solicitors and
thirteen support staff within the
Department. She feels that the financial
services area has become so regulated that
a strong in-house legal team is vital to
financial institutions and indeed any large
organisation. "A solicitor has a very
important role in making a business
successful", she said. There is an important
!
role for solicitors to play in business
nowadays and she feels strongly that they
can add value to a business and be a viable
part of a management team. The speed of
business life today is such that the prior
knowledge of the company and its business
which the in-house lawyer possesses is
j
extremely valuable. "To manage an in-
house legal department you have to work
i hard at staying up-to-date with the law.
You have to strive to streamline working
procedures to ensure your department is
operating efficiently and cost effectively
and you have to communicate with your
colleagues to ensure consistency of
advices" she says.
Given that Clare has been with ICC for
sixteen years, it is obvious that she thinks
highly of her employers. "They have
always facilitated me in getting involved in
external activities" she said. She says that
ICC Bank is a very quality service
orientated organisation. "Solicitors must
recognise that they are in a service industry
| - providing a good quality service to our
clients must be a priority", she said. She
I also strives to provide a high quality
j service to the Bank by tying legal advice
more closely to business objectives and
J
ensuring that her Bankers are happy with
the service they receive from the Law
Department. Of course this in turn will
impact on the quality of service which the
customer gets from ICC Bank. She enjoys
good relations with her colleagues in
private practice and being in a specialised
area is happy to help and give advice
when asked.
I asked her view on women with
demanding careers and how she herself
juggles a demanding career with family
life. "It can be difficult to come from
managing 17 staff and have to start looking
after three children the minute you walk in
the door. I think I manage quite well - it is
a matter of organisation and forward
planning. All spare time is allocated to
family but there are times I would love to
have a little bit more time for myself' she
answered. On the topic of opportunities for
women at senior level, she feels it can be
difficult to rise to ranks of senior
management. "Women have to put in a lot
more extra effort to get there" she said. ICC
Bank has a policy of equal opportunities for
men and women but despite this only two
out of fourteen divisional managers are
women. Happily things are changing but
there is still progress to be made, she feels.
Clare Connellan certainly has overcome
any obstacles in her way. She has managed
to achieve a tremendous amount during her
legal career and as Chairman of the Legal
Aid Board we wish her well.
Catherine Dolan
•
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