What did you want to do when you were 16?

I was very interested in becoming an architect but realised my drawing skills were not up to scratch! I think working as a solicitor in the construction industry is the next best thing.

What kind of qualifications do you need for your job?

I did a law degree at Trinity College Dublin, but a law degree is not necessarily required to be a commercial solicitor.

There are many other degrees that would set you up for a career as a commercial solicitor. After graduating from University, I completed my FE1 Examinations (which you need to pass to attend solicitor training at Blackhall Place), and then started my traineeship with Arthur Cox.

The solicitor traineeship programme takes just over 2 years, and I qualified as a solicitor in January 2017. I am also qualified as a solicitor in Australia.

What kind of career opportunities do you have?

I get to work with some of the most interesting clients and projects in the Irish renewable energy sector.

I am lucky enough to work on some very innovative projects, including emerging technologies such as solar and batteries, as well as interconnectors linking the Irish electricity grid to the grids in other countries.

Being a solicitor working in the energy industry also creates opportunities to work abroad. I was lucky to work with an international law firm in Sydney. The skills and experience that I obtained while working in Ireland were easily transferable in Australia.

There are also many opportunities to work in-house in the legal teams of energy and construction companies.

Best part of your working day?

I really enjoy working closely with different specialists in the energy industry, for example engineers, project managers, financial advisors, insurance advisors etc.

I need to work closely with a lot of different kinds of experts and so you end up learning a little bit about all of different jobs and their responsibilities.

Something that might surprise people about your role?

No day is the same! Different issues crop up every day on projects and you have to be able to adapt to what’s happening and then help advise your clients to get their projects completed.