PATRICK FITZGERALD

Award Year: 2014

Course: Law & History

Activities: Student Legal Service; Law Society; St Vincent de Paul Society; Access Scheme

Occupation: Judicial Assistant to the Supreme Court of Ireland

Clubs and societies are the lifeblood of college life in UCD. Like so many who have attended University, my time was greatly enriched by my involvement in UCD student life.

While my experience volunteering on campus over my first 2 years encompassed everything from dawn Thursday morning poster-runs to late night SVP soup-runs, my appointment as Chair of the SLS in third year entailed a change in personal responsibility. I was now in charge of a committee and a society of over 150 volunteers, which was a great learning in how to lead and manage a team.

SLS, in relative UCD terms, is a small faculty society that promotes access to the law, primarily through the use of drop-in law clinics where any UCD student can seek assistance from the volunteers of the society. The classic landlord-tenant dispute provided a steady stream of work, but queries ranged from the mundane issue of LUAS fines to complex issues of copyright law. As a student I always got a particular kick out of using my legal skills to address the real life problems of a fellow student. We produced Ireland’s first Civic Guide to the Constitution, an important step in making the Constitution accessible to the broader community.

The bonds of friendship between previous committees remain strong and it is a source of pride to have played a part in a chapter in this Society’s ever unravelling story.