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‘Rewards are different’ in public law, trainees told

Trainee solicitors have been told that those who choose to pursue a career in public law will be “part of a much bigger picture”.

June Reardon (Chief Parliamentary Counsel, Office of the Attorney General) was speaking during a session on public law at the Future of Legal Practice Summit in the Law Society (9 January).

Chief State Solicitor Maria Browne, who outlined her path to her current role, told trainees that her move into the office after a spell in private practice had given her “a real purpose” in terms of why she was practising law.

Collegiality

Faye Breen (Deputy Director General, Office of the Attorney General), who had previously practised as a barrister, described her work as “exciting and rewarding”, adding that she had never regretted her move. 

Browne told trainees that “very little” of her career had been planned, adding that she had had to take some risks.

She emphasised the collegiality of the Chief State Solicitor’s Office (CSSO).

“People feel part of something bigger than themselves,” she told the discussion, adding that there was “no bigger stage” for lawyers to practise their skills.

Browne also pointed out that, while there were no bonuses on offer in the public sector, “the rewards are different”.

Perfectionists

Breen, who is part of a team of 80 lawyers that advises the Government, said that her work occupied “the space where law and politics meet”.

She cited the COVID pandemic, where legal advice was required under intense pressure during a crisis.

Breen said that she believed that people felt better if they thought that their work had meaning and would have an impact on society.

If you believed that your work aligned with your own goals and values, she continued, there would be a very strong sense of job satisfaction, which would allow you to achieve a better work-life balance.

She warned, however, that the law “attracted perfectionists”, adding that this could lead to lawyers putting themselves under too much pressure. Breen urged the future lawyers to “bring some awareness of your emotions” to their work.

Variety

Reardon, whose team drafts legislation, and who was the first solicitor to head her office, said that her role involved looking at the law “from the top down”, in contrast to private practice’s focus on individual issues.

She emphasised the variety of the work in her office, with the opportunity to move from one team to another.

Reardon cautioned trainees against specialisation too early in their careers, urging them to find an area that interested them – and to keep learning throughout their careers.

Claire McGee (head of Law Society Public Policy) chaired the session.