Since its launch in July 2020, over 15,000 TY students from across Ireland have participated in the Law Society’s Legal Ambitions Transition Year Programme.

Legal Ambitions is a TY Law Module available to schools around the country. This bespoke four-week online programme gives students an opportunity to explore a future career as a solicitor and learn how the law is relevant to their daily lives.

Through online presentations and legal lessons, students learn from a broad range of material covering Climate Justice, Criminal Law and Employment Law, Human Rights Practice, Juvenile Justice, and The Children’s Courts.

The ease of access and flexibility of the programme is one of the main reasons for its success. Teachers can access video presentations and information booklets, released over the four weeks, when it suits the school’s timetable. Students can opt to study alone or as part of a group.

This programme is free of charge to schools. 

The 2022 Programme

Each week a new module of short video interviews and presentations (in a play-on-demand basis) is shared with teachers and students. The module is supported with interactive content, such as online quizzes and additional educational resources, to help deepen the learning experience. Teachers will receive access to approx. 1.5 hours of content each Monday over four weeks.

Topics covered

• Studying law at third level,

• The routes to becoming a solicitor

• Scholarship programmes

• The Constitution of Ireland

• Tort Law

• Criminal Law and the role of the solicitor

• Arrest and Detention

• Medical Negligence

• Explaining the Courts

• Who’s who in the Court Room

• Employment Law and the rights of young people

• Human Rights Practice in Ireland

• Juvenile Justice and the Children’s Court

• Environmental Law and Climate Justice

• International Criminal Law

• EU Law

Programme structure

• Free programme delivered online over four weeks

• Open to schools nationwide

• Presentations from Law Society staff, leading lawyers and industry experts

• Short, easy-to-consume video interviews and presentations

• Quizzes and online resources

• Dynamic themes such as social justice, human rights and climate change.

2022 programme

Applications for the 2023 TY Law Module will open in October 2023.

Student quote Alison Treacy Traynor, aged 15

“The TY Law Module has definitely influenced my future career options as it taught me so much more about the life of a solicitor and changed any assumptions I had about that career path. As for my legal ambitions, I would love to study law in college and go on to be a solicitor or a barrister, however after this course I definitely think I am leaning towards a career as a solicitor!

“My favourite part of the course was the presentations on Juvenile Justice because it was super interesting to hear about the law and the courts and how it affects people my age. I found how he talked about the developmental psychology studies used to curate the juvenile justice system very interesting. I also thought that the presentation on Arrest and Detention was really interesting because it made a point of breaking down the processes of arrest and detention to show how it differs from the misconceptions of it in society.

“I would highly recommend the course to other students because it is not only brilliant for those students who aspire to become a solicitor but also great for those unsure of what they would like to do. It really simplified and made sense of the role a solicitor has and the whole law system in Ireland so I think in that regard it is a really great resource for students.”