Louis Masterson first did a Bachelor of Commerce degree before deciding to retrain as a barrister at the Honorable Society of King’s Inns. He tells us about his experience.
Name: Louis Masterson
College: The Honorable Society of King’s Inns
Course: Barrister-at-Law Degree
Deciding to change career direction
I first became interested in law during my transition year at secondary school. I spent a week on work experience with a barrister, which I absolutely loved. After school I studied my Bachelor of Commerce in University College Dublin majoring in Corporate Finance. Having completed my degree I did an internship with an asset management firm in the USA and in Dublin for a year. Although I enjoyed studying finance, working in that area wasn’t for me. While only at the beginning of my working career, I know two things of myself: that I ultimately want to work for myself and that I don’t want to spend all of my working life confined to a desk in an office.
The Diploma in Legal Studies in The King’s Inns is an evening course spread out over two years. This enabled me to continue working during the day while studying law at night. The atmosphere in the courts is one of real collegiality. The same can be said for the atmosphere among students in the King’s Inns. The lecturers are all barristers themselves and as such are compelling speakers, making lectures a joy to attend.
Barrister-at-Law degree
After that, I studied full time for my Barrister-at-Law degree. Having completed the academic subjects during the Diploma in the King’s Inns, the Barrister-at-Law degree aims to provide students with the practical day-to-day skills that are needed for practice as a barrister. The degree course is not an academic course but is a skills based course where students are exposed to the skills of advocacy, opinion writing, drafting and negotiation on a daily basis in small group sessions tutored by experienced practitioners. As with the Diploma the atmosphere of collegiality is ever-present.
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