Ross Leung Power
The entirety of my experience at Maynooth University was enjoyable - from studies to sports to making great friends. The highlight studying law was definitely all of the law balls put on by the Maynooth LawSoc as well as developing a strong foundation in the core areas of law throughout the four years.
Maynooth University Soccer Team and the LawSoc.
Maynooth is a beautiful village, and the campus grounds make it an incredible place to study. There was always something on or somewhere to go while I was there, and it definitely feels like its own little world. On a practical level, I always found that if you engaged with the lecturers about essays, assignments and career goals, they couldn't do enough to help you learn and develop. I always looked for feedback or pointers on my assignments. I found that doing that over the course of four years really builds up to the point where at the end of your studies, your writing has developed to a really good level.
Ultimately college is about studying something that you'll end up working in at some level. I found the emphasis the Department of Law placed on developing excellent writing skills as well as critical and analytical thinking really provided me with an excellent foundation as I progressed into postgraduate study and working in a law firm. It's difficult to get high grades in Maynooth so you really have to put all your effort into producing high quality work which is something that translates across to working as a lawyer.
Having also studied at the University of Southern California and Trinity College Dublin at postgraduate level, I would say that Maynooth University is one of the best universities to study between the Los Angeles and Dublin! The best advice I got while I was there was quite simple: stay on top of the workload, work hard and the rest will follow.
Details of your career path to date
Currently, I am an Associate in the Tax Department at White & Case LLP in London.
Prior to qualification, I completed my traineeship at Matheson LLP. As well as my other professional experience, after law school, I interned in the Irish Supreme Court for the former Chief Justice of Ireland.
I have earned two LL.M degrees: (i) an LL.M in International Business and Economic Law from the University of Southern California (2020); and (ii) a First Class Honours in LL.M in International and European Business Law from Trinity College Dublin (2017).
At USC, I also earned two Graduate Certificates in Business Law as well as Transnational Law and Business. Moreover, I was awarded the Dean's Academic Excellence Award Scholarship for my tuition, rent and living expenses. Prior to completing both LL.M's, I earned a First Class Honours Bachelor of Laws degree (LL.B) from Maynooth University (2016).
Can you tell us of any career highlight to date?
I have two career highlights at this early stage of my career. First, as part of my law degree at Maynooth University, I was offered an internship at the Supreme Court of Ireland where I worked with the former Chief Justice, Frank Clarke. It was a brilliant experience, and I would encourage every law student to apply for the Superior Courts Internship. As part of that, I was very fortunate enough to get to draft two sections for two Irish Supreme Court judgments: Irish Bank Resolution Corporation Limited & Others v Quinn & Others [2016] IESC 50 and Charles & Others v Minister for Justice and Equality & Others [2016] IESC.
What does your current role involve?
I advise corporates, private equity houses, financial institutions and investment funds on the UK and international tax aspects of cross-border investment and structuring, structured and cross-border finance, real estate structuring as well as mergers, acquisitions and reorganizations.
What do you find most interesting/challenging about your job?
The most interesting thing about my job is getting the opportunity to work on multi-jurisdictional deals with a variety of jurisdiction-specific issues. A corollary of that is that the differences across various jurisdictions and the specific domestic law/market approaches can often make those deals challenging.
How did you find your current job?
As I was coming up to qualification, I decided that in order to progress in terms of technical legal skills and develop as a lawyer, I needed to be one of the biggest global legal markets. I spoke to some recruiters and did some research and began applying to firms in London. In terms of my current role, I applied directly to a vacancy on the website.
What advice would you give to Maynooth University students entering the job market, either generally speaking or in regard to your specific career sector?
I think the best piece of advice I received for entering the job market was to put yourself in a position where, on paper, nobody could say no to you. To me, that means having a well-rounded set of soft skills (which you can get through part-time work / internships) as well as having excellent academics. It’s hard to differentiate amongst graduates as it’s a given that everyone has good/strong grades. As such, I think it’s important to make sure that you are excelling academically and obtaining the highest possible grades. There’s also a significant amount of career first days/internship programmes that are now offered earlier during the course of law degrees. When I studied law, these opportunities often didn’t arise until 3rd/4th year and as such, there was a limited number of opportunities to gain practical experience. Students should apply as early as possible as it’ll give them an insight into what it is actually like day-to-day to work as a lawyer and add to their CV. The other piece of advice I would give is to keep trying no matter how many times you are told no; eventually, if you keep putting yourself out there and trying to get opportunities, the right one will come along.