Investing in the Next Generation of Solicitors in Rural Ireland

This week marked an important milestone for our firm with the arrival of Gráinne Linnane from Tralee as our new trainee solicitor.

It is particularly significant because it has been a very long time since a trainee solicitor started their career with us.

The last trainee to join the firm before Gráinne was Máire McMahon , daughter of our recently retired colleague Owen McMahon, who commenced her traineeship with the practice back in 1998.

Our tradition of training solicitors stretches back even further. In fact, the first trainee solicitor in the firm was none other than Séamus Given, recently appointed a Judge of the High Court. We occasionally mention that as one of the firm's claims to fame — without, of course, casting any doubt on the considerable talent of all the trainees who followed him!

For many years, however, we were simply not in a position to continue taking on trainees.

A major difficulty was space. We had wanted to expand the practice for many years, but suitable commercial premises locally were difficult to find. Our previous offices did not provide the room necessary to grow the team and properly accommodate a trainee solicitor.

Eventually, the right property became available on Bishop Street, Newcastle West allowing us to move to larger, more modern and more spacious premises and to expand the practice in the way we had long hoped.

That expansion is now beginning to bear fruit.

Earlier this year, we were delighted to welcome Grace McKinley who relocated from a Dublin firm and joined us last March. Attracting a young solicitor to a regional practice is, in itself, something worth celebrating.

And now we are equally delighted to welcome Gráinne.

When we advertised for a trainee solicitor, we received applications from many excellent candidates. Gráinne stood out. She had completed all of her FE1 examinations and impressed us with her enthusiasm for the law, determination, confidence and outgoing personality.

She has settled in extremely well and already shown a genuine interest in learning, developing and progressing in the profession.

There is, however, a wider issue here.

Regional practices can find it extremely challenging to recruit young solicitors and trainees. From our own recruitment process, it was clear that many excellent young people would genuinely prefer to remain close to home, family, friends, sporting clubs, and their local communities.

Some, unfortunately, feel they have little choice but to move to Dublin or another large city in order to secure a traineeship.

That presents a real challenge for the future of the profession in rural Ireland.

Many solicitors in regional practices are approaching retirement. Unless firms continue to train and encourage the next generation, we risk seeing more local practices disappear over time while larger city firms continue to grow and consolidate.

That would be a significant loss.

Regional solicitors' practices are often deeply rooted in their communities. They serve generations of families, understand local businesses and agriculture, and provide professional employment and legal services in towns throughout the country.

If we want those practices to continue, we have to invest in the next generation.

My message to other regional firms is therefore a simple one:

If you have the capacity to take on a trainee solicitor, seriously consider doing it.

Training somebody properly involves time, patience and commitment, but it also provides a young person with an opportunity to build a professional career in the community in which they want to live.

It strengthens the practice, strengthens the profession and, in a small but important way, strengthens rural Ireland.

We are delighted to be playing our part by providing opportunities both for young qualified solicitors such as Grace and now for the next generation coming through the profession.

After a very long gap, it is wonderful to have a trainee solicitor in the office again.

We wish Gráinne Linnane every success throughout her traineeship and in the legal career that follows.

Our job now is to give her every opportunity we can, expose her to a broad range of legal work, encourage her development and, ultimately, do our best to help her become the very best solicitor she can be.

Welcome to the profession, Gráinne — and welcome to the team.