On Friday 14th February, Mr. Mather and the Year 12 Law students were delighted to welcome Lynn O’Malley into school to discuss her varied career in the Law. DDJ O’Malley is a Deputy District Judge based in Colchester and a former student of St Joseph’s. She also works as a member of the Parole Board, is a Tribunal Judge in the Immigration Tribunal and Social Entitlement Tribunal and is a chair of the professional conduct committee of the General Dental Council.
DDJ O’Malley began by explaining what her various roles entail including how she arrives at a county court in a morning not knowing what cases she will be hearing that day and how difficult it can be to make decisions which she doesn’t necessarily agree with but which the law states that she must make. She discussed diversity in the judiciary and said that she felt every bit as equal as her male counterparts and that she had never had an issue in that area. Furthermore, the Bar Council and the Law Society actively encourage diversity within solicitors and barristers through various schemes that they run.
The Law students were especially keen to hear advice from someone in the Law about how to achieve a career in such a competitive area. DDJ O’Malley said to get as much experience as possible in different areas, such as jobs which include money handling to show trustworthiness and taking on projects which show a willingness to go above and beyond.
Finally, DDJ O’Malley took questions from the floor including on miscarriages of justice, the difficulty of making some of the decisions she has to make, the independence of the judiciary and the impact of the changes to legal aid on justice.
Mr. Mather, and all the students involved, would like to extend our gratitude to DDJ O’Malley for her time in speaking to us and to Clare Guy for giving us the opportunity to organise the visit.
