LIFFORD woman Alvena Sharma was among the first to take part in The Bar of Ireland’s recent inaugural Internship Programme.

Alvena, who completed a Bachelor of Law at Trinity College Dublin, was one of four outstanding interns who were selected to take part in the two week imitative.

The programme offered a unique opportunity for participants to gain first-hand insight into the life and work of a barrister.

Interns engaged in job shadowing with both civil and criminal barristers, attended talks by junior and senior counsel, former judicial assistants, and a High Court judge.

They also benefited from guided tours of the Four Courts and participated in workshops on advocacy, IT, and legal research.

The selection process included each university or institution that runs an approved course for the King’s Inns Barrister-at-Law Degree being invited to submit two nominations.

These nominees were then invited to complete an application form.

There were a total of 32 nominations and applications were selected by University Outreach Committee at The Bar of Ireland.

Following a successful pilot year, The Bar of Ireland is looking forward to engaging with students and offering the Internship Programme again next year.

Aoife Carroll SC, speaking on behalf of the University Outreach Committee at The Bar of Ireland, said: “We were delighted to launch this pilot internship programme, which reflects our ongoing commitment to outreach and broadening access to the profession.

“This initiative offered a meaningful introduction to the Bar and the justice system for aspiring legal professionals.”

The Bar of Ireland extends its gratitude to the many barristers who generously volunteered their time to make this programme a success.