AI cannot replace human empathy – judge

Speaking at a parchment ceremony for newly qualified solicitors at Blackhall Place (28 May) Law Society President Rosemarie Loftus said that the law is an endlessly interesting career which should never be taken for granted.

Lawyers have a vital role in civic society and can make a difference in communities, society, business and public life, she said.

While opportunities for solicitors are plentiful, smaller community-based legal practices face challenges, the president said.

“The legal profession, like many others, is heavily concentrated in Dublin,” she commented, warning of emerging legal deserts in rural communities which affects access to justice.

The flat fee being introduced for criminal legal aid work causes the Law Society great concern, the president said.

“The fair, independent and efficient administration of law is central to our democracy. Unfortunately, the rule of law, access to justice, and a free and open society cannot be taken for granted,” she said.

The Law Society is at the forefront in meeting these challenges, she said, and has spent a long time thinking about the future of the legal system.

She urged the newly qualified solicitors to have a balanced life outside of work, and to take care of their mental health.

Guest speaker Mr Justice Oisin Quinn of the High Court said that generative AI is as transformative as the invention of fire, or the wheel.

Human skills

In light of this, he urged the new solicitors to enhance their human skills, such as empathy, understanding, and instinct, which AI cannot replicate, to excel at their careers, and to contribute effectively to the administration of justice.

“Always be learning,” he advised the newly qualified solicitors. 

Speaker Ciaran Ahern TD (Labour, Dublin South West), a former ALG employment law solicitor, stated that the newly qualified solicitors should use their expertise for social impact, and address issues such as homelessness and climate change.

The roles of both solicitor and politician have a public service function, he added, in helping people, advocating, and navigating complex bureaucracies.

Deal-making 

The skills of deal-making and negotiation apply to both spheres, he added, as well and on-and off-the-record conversations, and the idealistic, argumentative nature of the participants.

“Law, like politics, must be grounded in public service,” he said.

“There is a lot of collegiality in both careers, and this goes a long way towards getting results for those who are represented,” he added.

Gaeilgeoir Aoife, from Ranelagh in Dublin 6, wins a paid internship with A&L Goodbody LLP for the month of June.

NQs from Eversheds Sutherland LLP, Flynn O’Driscoll LLP, McCann Fitzgerald LLP and Arthur Cox LLP were all represented at the parchment ceremony.

Prizewinners

Overend Scholarship Final Examination highest marks achieved First Part 2025:

• Bailey Lane,

Overall Prize Professional Practice Course 2022:

• Emma Kennedy (Arthur Cox LLP],

Law Society Business Law Prize Professional Practice Course 2022:

• Emma Kennedy [Arthur Cox LLP],

Dispute Resolution Prize first place: Professional Practice Course 2022,

• Emma Kennedy [Arthur Cox LLP],

Dispute Resolution Prize second place: Professional Practice Course 2022

• Rory Purcell [McCann FitzGerald LLP].