GradLife Podcast

Orla Walsh is an Irish triathlete and student at University College Dublin. She has represented Ireland at several international events since 2018. She is the current national champion of Ireland and one of the youngest athletes ever to secure the title. Alongside her training, she is in her final year of Business and Law at UCD.

In this weeks episode, Danny sits down with David Gannon, a Wealth Management Executive at Goodbody Stockbrokers. David studied BESS in Trinity College and followed up in his interest in finance by undertaking the MsC in Finance from the UCD Smurfit Business School. They chat through the ins and outs of wealth management, company culture, diversity in his role and what motived his job selection. A really interesting chat with someone who has really given their job choice a lot of thought and time. Plenty of good takeaways for any incoming graduates or those with an interest in finance.

Róisín Finn (Tech, Innovation and Employment) and Matthew Gregg (Corporate Banking), both associates in McCann FitzGerald, talk us through their journeys through college to where they are today. Neither Roisin nor Matt studied straight law, and each describes the advantages and disadvantages (there aren't many!) of coming from a non-traditional background into one of the top law firms in Ireland. They also touch on the FE1s and their Blackhall experience, answering a lot of the questions we often get on these topics.

In this episode, Matthew speaks to Rosemary Hennigan, Policy Coordinator at Focus Ireland. They discuss her journey from Law in Trinity College to her current role, covering her training as a solicitor in corporate law and pursuing an LLM in the University of Pennsylvania as a Fulbright Scholar. Really insightful for anyone who's in two minds about the corporate route!

This week Kate speaks to Bryan Mulry who is working in sales for Google Cloud. This is an episode not to be missed by anyone looking for a job or thinking about their next move. Bryan has a great approach to navigating the jobs market and shares his tips during this episode.

This week Ruby speaks to Sarah Farrelly, a Pro Bono Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys. They chat about Sarah's career to date, including her time as a Senior Legal Manager at TrustLaw, the global pro bono legal service of the Thomson Reuters Foundation. A really interesting episode for any aspiring lawyers with an interest in human rights or legal aid.

In this episode of The Outlier, we have Gary Featherstone, or Coach Gaz join us for an extremely engaging, enjoyable and insightful conversation. Gary fills us in on how he made the transition from Computer Science to becoming a full time CrossFit Coach and Business owner. We talk about how to deal with uncertainty during challenging times, and how getting comfortable with the uncomfortable allows us to grow and understand ourselves better. We also discuss how comparison is the thief of joy, especially when it comes to fitness and the minefield that is the Instagram feed. Gary has an awesome outlook on life that is truly infectious, he lives his passion for fitness and helping others every day, it was great to gain some insight into how he manages to be the positive force that he is!

In this episode of the law podcast Mark interviews Jennifer Halpin. Jennifer is a Real Estate Partner at McCann FitzGerald. Ireland has had a big boom in property, and it is a dynamic sector. Jennifer’s experience in this will no doubt be inspirational for anyone looking at getting into the legal or the commercial space.

In this week's episode, Kate chats to Sorcha O'Byrne, an associate consultant at management consulting firm, Bain & Co. Sorcha demystifies the world of consulting by taking us through her application process, her daily work routine and the type of projects she works on.

This is an episode with Catherine Deane, Partner and Chair at McCann FitzGerald. In this episode Catherine talks about her experience starting off in the aviation industry with McCann and working her way up to partner of aircraft financing and leasing. This sector has had lots of growth over the past few years and makes a riveting podcast for anyone who is interested in getting into the legal or the commercial side of leasing.

This week on GradLife, Ruby speaks to Matthew Nuding, a Junior Policy Analyst in the Digital Economy division of the OECD. They chat about his time in Trinity, which included a year spent as President of the Phil. Matthew speaks candidly about his experience as a Grad upon leaving Trinity, before he began in the OECD through the Young Associates Programme. A really worthwhile listen for anyone interested in the intersection between law and politics.

Only fitting that we would have GradLife founder Mark Maxwell as the first Guest on Outlier. Mark has a story that some would struggle to squeeze in in 60 years, let alone 30! In this episode we hear about some risqué job application techniques Mark adopted to get his ideal role, how a trip to peaceful New Zealand almost proved fatal and how doing what you think is expected of you isn’t always what is actually what’s right for you, and much more. Mark’s honesty, energy and passion for life make him a force to be reckoned with, it was brilliant to have him tell his story on the Podcast.

Mr. Justice Peter Kelly has been described as a “fearless, forthright and formidable legal force”. After establishing himself as a remarkable barrister, representing several high-profile clients, he was appointed a judge of the High Court. During his career he gained much recognition for his admirable handling of cases concerning those most vulnerable in our society. He played a pivotal role during the aftermath of the financial crisis, condemning banks, property developers and businesspeople. Mr Justice Kelly spent time in the High Court, the commercial court, and the court of appeal before returning to the HC on becoming president. He retired in 2020, after 24 years’ service on the bench.

This week Danny chats to Paddy Ryder, Co-Founder of Covid Interns and MSc Finance & Accounting student at Imperial College London. The guys talk about starting a social enterprise in the midst of covid. the benefits of societal involvements at college, moving to London and breaking into the world of Investment Banking. They also delve into how the opportunity cost of trying new things has never been lower, which in part led to Paddy setting up Covid Interns, enabling him partner students/graduates with organisations seeking assistance during the pandemic.

In the second episode of the Law podcast, Ruby speaks to John Neeson, a senior associate in the corporate group of McCann FitzGerald. They discuss his route to corporate law, which included a stint in a criminal law firm and a year in Australia, as well as his favourite aspects of the job. Well worth a listen if you haven’t quite made up your mind about the corporate law path.