Dr Saoirse Enright has been appointed as the Matheson Diversity in Law Newman Fellow at the UCD Sutherland School of Law.

Dr Enright will join the law school to deliver a two-year, inter-disciplinary project focused on identifying the barriers faced by under-represented groups to pursue a career in the legal profession in Ireland.

Her work will be conducted under the supervision of Dr Sara Benedí Lahuerta.

Dr Enright said: "Despite much effort across the profession, many under-represented groups still face barriers to pursuing a career in law.

“This research project will seek to understand these barriers, and identify what changes and initiatives need to be introduced so that we can create a profession that reflects the population it serves,” she added.

Hurdles

Professor Laurent Pech (Dean of Law and head of the Sutherland School of Law) described Dr Enright as “a welcome addition” to the school.

“Her research will allow us to better understand what barriers under-represented groups are facing to becoming practising lawyers, thus informing new initiatives for a more diverse legal workforce,” he stated.

Matheson says that it has funded the fellowship to support research-based evidence on access to legal education for under-represented groups, and to identify hurdles experienced by those groups to access and remain in the legal profession.

Michael Jackson (managing partner, Matheson) said: "To create a truly diverse and inclusive profession, we are matching our efforts to create a diverse workplace that values and celebrates differences, with the broader need to understand barriers to entry to the legal profession.”