Manifesto for Education Officer of the 86th Session of the UCC Law Society.

Proposer: Cormac Molloy

Seconder: Oisn OCallaghan

My name is Enda Kerr and I am a 3rd year Law International Student currently studying in the
University of Copenhagen. This year, as you may have guessed from the title, I am running
for the position of Education Officer.
Firstly I would like to congratulate the out-going committee on a fantastic year and especially
the incumbent, Cormac Molloy who has represented the students of the law faculty
fantastically, in particularly difficult circumstances.

Experience:
I have been lucky enough to have been elected to the UCC Law Society Executive
Committee on two occasions, firstly as First Year Representative and then as Auditor. I have
represented the Society at the European Debating Championships and International Legal
Conferences. I have won the Societys first year moot court competition, participated in the
main competition and I have sat on the editorial board for the 12th edition of the Cork Online
Law Review.
I have also represented my year as a rep on both the student council and on the student-staff
committee, as well as on the law school review board. My efforts in all of these have been
recognised through being given the award for Best Business and Law Rep on the Student
Council and an Honorary Life Membership on the Law Society.
All these experiences have given me invaluable expertise in representing students at every
level and achieving real results.

Semesterisation:
There have been a myriad of problems with the introduction of semesterisation this year and
it has not been good enough. Having studied in the University of Copenhagen, I have
witnessed first-hand how semesterisation can be implemented to the benefit of students. It is
imperative that modules be split equally across both semesters. That there have been huge
disparities in students workloads between semesters is a disgrace. Furthermore, the timetabling of exams has been a travesty, affecting the welfare of students and introducing
completely unnecessary stress for students, particularly final years. If elected Education

Officer, I would tirelessly lobby both faculty and the University at large for this to be
changed.
Throughout my time in UCC I have also been lucky enough to make contacts in both the
faculty and Students Union and would use these to help address these problems. Students
will need a strong, experienced representative and I believe I am the only person with the
necessary skills and experience for this task.

Collaboration:
There is huge scope within the remit of the Education Officer for collaboration with other
Societies to enhance the educational experience of students studying Law. An area I would
like to explore is collaborating with the FLAC Society, particularly as regards their weekly
clinics. Through working together, not only is there an opportunity to expand both societies
and provide a better standard of event, but also offers a great way for students to build their
CV and legal expertise.

Internships/Traineeships/Placements:
Having been through the internship scheme process over the past 3 years I have seen how
difficult it is to get a place and what is exactly is required. I want to use this knowledge to
give students of law in UCC the best opportunity to get a placement.
First Years:
Many of the large firms dont accept first year students in summer placements due to the lack
of academic experience and maturity. The one firm that does accept first years closes its
application process in October, before many students find out. First years are often neglected
and I intend to change that. I will make available to all first year students, information about
internships from the very beginning, as well as information about local firms and the faculty
run placement scheme.
Second/Third/Fourth Years:
I would like to continue the expansion of the Careers Fair to involve even more law firms and
representatives of non-law employers. From my dealings with other Law Societies,
particularly those in Dublin, English firms and more international businesses and
organisations are given far less representation here in UCC than anywhere else. This is
something that I would very much like to change. There is an incredible amount of talent in
UCC and it is now time to showcase it to the world and show students the opportunities they
have, be it in PWC, EY, Allen and Overy, The UN, Academia or Human Rights Watch. I hope
to explore the idea of a joint careers fair with other degree courses in UCC to increase the
likelihood of attracting big names and thus the opportunities available to students.

In addition to the careers fair, I would like to take a lead from our colleagues in Dublin and
organise events with businesses such as drinks receptions in offices to allow students engage
with them in an informal manner.
This alone will not guarantee students placements so I intend to run a number of workshops
throughout the year to promote students career development. These would include
workshops with law firms, faculty, the university careers service and more to allow students
the best opportunity possible to get a placement.

Reps:
I intend to fully utilise the many reps that are present in the various years of law. Having
representation for each course in Law is a fantastic opportunity in promoting student
interests. I intend to form a Law Society education sub-committee to give full voice to
students concerns as well as develop the educational aspect of the Society. This would also
give reps fantastic experience in organising events and dealing with employers.
I would also like to work closely with the peer support programme to enhance academic
support offered to students. This in conjunction with the sub-committee would offer a great
academic experience to students.

Trips:
Having organised The Hague Trip last year I am well acquainted with that it takes to run the
trip from an organisational stand point. I would like to survey students as to what they would
like to get from the trip, including any institutions they would like to go to etc.
I am aware that our colleagues in NUIG, UCD and TCD all organise similar trips and I would
like to open dialogue with each Society about running a joint trip, which would be more cost
effective for students as well as give a unique opportunity for students to meet their peers in
other Universities.
The main thing with the Hague Trip is to organise it early. This is to minimise flight costs and
accommodation costs, as well as to guarantee that the institutions can host the group. I would
hope to have the majority of this completed come the end of the summer, ready to advertise
to students and collect money by the end of October.
I would also like to look into the possibility of organising a trip for first year students to
Dublin, where they would meet up with law societies in Dublin, visit the Dil, High Court
and some of the law firms offices. This would be a unique opportunity for students to gain
exposure to the world of law, as well as bond with each other in their first year of University.

Your Representative:
The most fundamental aspect of the Education Officers duties is of course, to act as a bridge
between the students to the faculty. Students need is a representative who holds their needs to
heart and is not afraid to stand up and speak for them when it most matters. A student should
feel confident in their education officer, should see them as approachable and most of all
should see their dedication. I believe I embody all of these traits and know I can do this job
better than anyone.
I really believe that I have the ability and drive to achieve the very best for the Law Society
and students within law. I hope that from reading this manifesto, you do too. As much as I
want it to be, this manifesto is not a complete list of everything I would like to do, and if you
would like any more information or to talk to me about anything, please feel free to email me
at Endakerr@gmail.com or on facebook https://www.facebook.com/enda.kerr .
Le Meas,
Enda Kerr