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Jason O'Sullivan

Principal at J.O.S Solicitors Jason O'Sullivan

Early Motivation

I am proud to have been the first member of my family to have chosen law as a career. Growing up, I was always fascinated by the judicial system depicted through TV and film and always believed it was an important profession that could make a positive contribution on both an individual and societal level.

I attended the National University of Ireland, Galway (N.U.I.G) and obtained my primary Bachelor Degree in Law, Sociology and Politics followed by a postgraduate Degree in Law (L.L.B). During my L.L.B studies I had the opportunity to study law at the University of Southern Maine Law School, USA and at the Katholieke University, Leuven, Belgium. The experience of studying aboard was understandably great fun in a social context but was also immensely rewarding from an academic perspective. It instilled in me a broader appreciation of the rule of law and natural justice, particularly the global recognition of the basic tenets of due process and fairness.

Career

After qualifying as a solicitor in Ireland in 2007, I practised for a number of years as an Associate Solicitor specialising in Employment Law, Company Law, Commercial and Civil Litigation before deciding to make a strategic career move to follow my other passion, that of the political world.

I secured an opportunity to work with the late TV great Bill O’Herlihy, who was also a well-recognised professional lobbyist. This provided me the opportunity to experience the craft of lobbying and public affairs at a political level, whilst also exposing me to the powerful influence of the media world. 

From there I moved to an in-house role within Rehab Group, at the time one of the largest charities in Ireland with over 3,000 staff and international subsidiaries. During this period, having worked in both the corporate and not-for-profit sector, I gained vast experience and knowledge of these diverse environments from the legal, regulatory and policy perspectives. I also gained exceptional experience and insight into the strategic areas of Employee Engagement and Crisis Management, which complimented my legal knowledge and acumen.

Starting My Own Firm

I set up J.O.S Solicitors, a contemporary law firm with offices in both Dublin and Galway, in 2015. The primary motivator was to create a different type of law firm, one that combined my expertise and passion in law and politics. The firm offers tailored legal services in Employment Law, Corporate Law, Defamation, Medical Negligence and Personal Injury Litigation along with unique consultancy services in Lobbying and Public Affairs.

The firm’s success has been beyond my expectations to date and I am thoroughly enjoying the chance to steer the firm in the innovative direction I envisaged at its inception. Since establishing the firm, I have also become a regular media contributor on various legal and policy topics for radio and TV as well as writing regular opinion pieces for The Irish Independent and The Journal.ie, which I enjoy immensely.

Advice

The legal landscape is changing and it’s important to view a legal career from an innovative angle more so these days rather than assuming one has to follow the traditional model, which faces many challenges.  Fundamentally, law and the practice thereof, is about people so achieving success can be largely dependent on the combination of requisite legal knowledge and complimentary people skills. 

Other Stories

For other career success stories, see Career Spotlight.