Notre Dame Law School continues to expand its global learning opportunities for students.
Beginning this summer, a select number of rising second-year law students will be placed in paid internships with leading law firms and companies in Dublin, Ireland. The internships will provide these students with invaluable experience as they are exposed to transnational legal issues and the laws of Ireland and the European Union.
Dublin has emerged as a European business capital for technology companies, the oil-and-gas industry, and other sectors. The United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union —“Brexit” — will make Dublin an even more important legal hub.
“With the onset of Brexit, law firms are looking beyond London,” said G. Marcus Cole, the Joseph A. Matson Dean and Professor of Law at Notre Dame Law School. “London will remain important, but both U.S. and U.K. law firms are recognizing the need to go beyond the U.K. After Brexit happens, Ireland will be the last major English-speaking common-law jurisdiction in the European Union.”
All first-year students at Notre Dame Law School are eligible to apply for the summer internship program. Three to five students will be selected for this summer’s placements. Applicants will be considered on the basis of academic standing, a demonstrated interest in learning Irish and EU law, and a desire to pursue international career opportunities.
Selected students will receive a $10,000 stipend for their participation in the internship.
Six partner organizations have agreed to consider hiring student interns from Notre Dame Law School this summer. The cohort includes Dublin’s largest law firms as well as a major human-resources company. All of the organizations have well-established internship programs. The Notre Dame interns will be fully integrated into those programs while working alongside other Irish and international interns.
Dublin’s main thoroughfare, O’Connell Street. Photos by Matt Cashore/University of Notre Dame.
The University of Notre Dame and the Law School have well-established relationships in Dublin. The University sends 360 undergraduates to Dublin each year and maintains a summer internship program for undergraduates. Notre Dame’s Dublin Global Gateway serves as the University’s base of operations in Ireland, providing pastoral care and other support to Notre Dame students while they are abroad.
Notre Dame Law School has also long been a leader in international legal education.
The Law School established the Notre Dame London Law Program in 1968 and, since then, has added exchange programs in Chile, China, Ireland, Italy, and Switzerland.
Notre Dame Law School also offers LL.M. and J.S.D. programs that attract lawyers from other countries to further their legal expertise by studying in the United States. In an average year, the Law School hosts more than 30 lawyers from around the world. These international students take courses with J.D. students at Notre Dame and add valuable perspectives to class discussions.
“It is increasingly important for lawyers to have exposure to transnational practice,” Dean Cole said. “Effective legal practice today requires lawyers who have a global perspective and understand how legal issues may transcend borders.”
The University of Notre Dame’s Dublin Global Gateway is located in the historic Merrion Square neighborhood.
Length of Internships:
- Internships will be 6 to 8 weeks in length.
- Participating students will have time to return to the United States for end-of-summer interviews with law firms, including the Law School’s off-campus interview programs in late July and on-campus interviews in early August.
Compensation:
- Student interns will receive a $10,000 stipend, paid out in increments over the course of the internship.
- At the end of the internship, participating students will be reimbursed for up to 50% of the cost of their airfare to Dublin, up to a maximum of $500.
Housing and Visa:
- Notre Dame’s Dublin Global Gateway (dublin.nd.edu) can assist interested students in reserving accommodations at reasonable cost at Trinity College Dublin, located in the heart of the city. Notre Dame undergraduates also live at Trinity College during their Dublin summer internships.
- The process of securing necessary visas in Ireland will be smooth, as the Dublin Global Gateway will help interns navigate the visa process.
- The Dublin Global Gateway will also be available to provide student interns with pastoral care, recreational opportunities, and cultural experiences while in Ireland.
All first-year students at Notre Dame Law School are eligible to apply for the Dublin summer internship program. The application will go live in IrishLink on December 1.
The application period is December 1 to January 17.
Note: Participating firms and companies may want to interview applicants. The Law School’s Career Development Office can help facilitate the phone and video connections needed for interviews.
Students with questions about the Dublin summer internship program should contact Associate Dean Paul Miller or CDO Director Vinny Versagli.
Originally published by at law.nd.edu on November 22, 2019.