Work Experiance!

Dear Readers,
This week I headed off to the Four Courts in Dublin to follow around a Barrister for the week. I wasn't really nervous about the whole thing as I was with the first Work Experience, I was more excited. The Barrister I was following around was Martin Canny. Unfortunately he didn't have a lot on this week but he still tired to find me some interesting stuff for me to look at. I talked to people who went to the Four Courts for the last Work Experience and some said it was ok but others were saying it was boring. I have to say I disagree. I learned so much just watching the cases and I found them interesting, like trying to figure out who would win or how the Barristers would go about their cross examinations. I saw people cry though, that wasn't to nice. I saw court orders giving out for peoples homes to be reposest, though some deserved it by the sounds of it. But I also saw people get their money back or justice for their injury. It was so weird to see how each Barrister approaches a case and even some of the Judges were characters!

I'll call this judge the Master, as he is the master of the high court. He was the funniest to watch handling cases because he wasn't at all interested and loves to make the devils (apprentice barristers) embarrassed by ripping them apart. Like this poor widow started crying as she was explaining her situation, when the Master started looking out the window and said something that sounded like golf! Madness.

I'll call this judge the PlaintiffPresident, he is in the Circuit Court (best court ever, its like Judge Judy but with Barristers). He has been known to be a bit pro-plaintiff. But to me that's not his problem, his problem is that he says close to nothing as the case proceeds and then when its finished he reads back every note he made and then gives his verdict, sometimes even leaving for five minuets to make his verdict. Too long in my view. But that's just how he roles.

I'll call this judge Mr Justice Softy, also in the Circuit Court. He was the most fair Judge I saw in the place. He gave everyone a chance to explain themselves and if someone didn't understand he would butt in and explain, also if he thought the Barrister was being to harsh on a witness he would stop him and repeat the question to the witness in a nicer, calmer tone. He was completely fair and in my opinion gave the right verdict in the end.

So you see these are three very different people and have completely different approaches to the job. Some I agree with some I don't. Same with the barristers I saw, they were all different in there approach. You can see similarities between some but other than that their all different. That's what made it so interesting, to see the different approaches clash, some people even changed their approaches depending on who they were up against or what judge the case was before. It's a nut house in there and I liked it. It also showed me how being different or having a different approach to things means that life is never boring. We need to be different to make things that bit different. Also its important to learn from this that, if something needs doing and you ask someone to do it just because their approach to the task is different and you might not agree with it doesn't mean it won't get done. Or if someone gives an opinion, value it. Value every one's difference, it can make us clash and it can make us come together, but we all need to learn how to see things from the others point of view, especially in TY when we are working together in groups a lot and with people we don't really know. Another lesson learnt.

Thank you,
Roisin.P.