My MU Experience - LLB Bachelor of Law Degree MH501

Amie's Experience

I grew up understanding the vital importance of advocacy and how it can potentially change someone's life. In school, I was unsure of what I really wanted, from I was around eleven I had a feeling it would be law, but I felt I might be too young at eighteen to start that pathway.
 
I felt maybe school wasn’t for me, it was hard knowing what subjects suited me best or what college route I might be interested in, so after 6th year I started a Post-Leaving Cert course (PLC) in Dunboyne College of Further Education. I studied Pre-University Liberal Arts, which taught me subjects like Philosophy, English Literature, History, Politics, Communications and more. I think doing a PLC may have changed my life; it set me in the right direction and gave me a push that I did want to do law. The Guidance counsellors in DCFE really encouraged me to study law and to push myself. I finished Dunboyne with a Distinction and went to the Maynooth Open Day. I definitely always wanted to go to Maynooth and after seeing how supportive they were in helping me with my QQI entry, I wouldn’t have considered anywhere else.
 
I chose the MH502 BCL (Law and Criminology) course in 1st year, and I found the law incredibly interesting, and that it suited me really well. When I finished my 1st year, I was allowed to do an internal transfer to MH501 LLB Bachelor of Laws to study solely law.
 
Studying the LLB has really helped me to focus on what I want to do when I leave Maynooth University. I grew up in a household that really encouraged and supported Advocacy. My little brother Ben is 15 years old and is Down Syndrome while also being a survivor of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia. I watched my family fight tirelessly for his rights and still fight to this day for basic needs that no one should have to fight for anymore and for equality. My family inspire my studies every day, and subjects like Tort Law, Medical Law, and Mooting have become areas I’m passionate about and would love to specialise in after my undergraduate degree. My ultimate goal is to become a Barrister with the Honourable Society of King's Inns, and with the support of Maynooth University, I do not doubt that I can achieve it. These life experiences, combined with the support I’ve received here, have taught me that while one person may not change the whole world, that’s not the aim of studying law. Instead, it’s about making a difference in even one family’s life and making their life change, like my parents did for my family. This is what drives my ambition to do pro-bono work in the future.
 
Maynooth University has been amazing in supporting my journey so far. What started as a 1st year Tort Law assignment sparked a passion for advocacy competitions like mooting (moot court is a simulated court proceeding in which the participants prepare and deliver written and oral submissions in a hypothetical court). I competed in my first mooting competition with Maynooth’s FLAC Society (Free Legal Aid Centre) in early 2024 and loved every moment of it. At the start of my 2nd year, I joined the Maynooth Law Society and recently organised my first Negotiation Competition. Getting involved in Societies and Clubs has been so important, not just for the academic opportunities, but for the friendships you build along the way. During my first Moot Court experience, I made some incredible friends, and before starting my 2nd year, we came together to establish Maynooth University’s first Women in Law Society. We're now planning exciting events to empower women in the legal field and inspire the next generation of legal professionals, a move for equality that wouldn’t be possible if not for the University’s support.

My advice to any incoming student is to reach for the stars and try everything. Meet people, engage, try new things and don’t be afraid to aim for your dreams. In Maynooth University, it is always possible!

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