SETU continues to demonstrate its commitment to legal literacy and community engagement through the Street Law programme.
This initiative, facilitated by the Law Society of Ireland, empowers law students and trainee solicitors to bring legal education to schools, prisons, and community settings, fostering a deeper understanding of the law and its applications.
Street Law at SETU
SETU began facilitating Street Law sessions in 2018, led by Sadhb Reddy, Lecturer in Law at SETU, in collaboration with the Access office. Funding was granted by the National Forum for teaching and Learning and Emeritus Professor of Law, Richard Roe, of Georgetown University Law School facilitated training with law students in SETU. Professor Roe is one of the founding members of Street Law.
This training culminated with SETU law students partaking in a mock trial designed by Prof. Roe and Sadhb. Unfortunately, the students missed out on the final mock trial which ran as a pilot as the year 3 Company Law continuous assessment for the year 2019-20. Covid-19 resulted in lockdown on Thursday 12 March with the mock trial scheduled for the following Monday. The final assessment piece was modified in the circumstances.
While the programme was paused during the Covid-19 pandemic, it has since been revitalised, with plans to expand sessions this semester and beyond. Transition Year (TY) students from local schools are invited to SETU’s Carlow campus, where Sadhb and senior law (LLB and Business with Law) students deliver interactive legal education sessions.
In February 2024, a group of LLB students joined Sadhb at the Law Society of Ireland for Street Law training. The sessions were facilitated by John Lumney, manager with the Law Society of Ireland, and Jordan Egan, an SETU graduate completing her apprenticeship with Matheson and the Law Society.
“I was thrilled to have myself and my students trained by Professor Roe and John Lunney of the Law School of the Incorporated Law Society of Ireland. It has afforded students an opportunity to learn the law in an experiential way in a safe space developing and honing their legal skills ahead of their professional careers. I would also like to thank my Heads of Department and Head of Faculty for their support on the endeavour. It is great to see our law students have the opportunity to put their learning from the recent training into practice whereby they can further develop their critical thinking skills which are vital for a legal career."
Sadhb Reddy, speaking about the impact of the programme,
A unique approach
Street Law uses an innovative teaching method to spark participants interest in legal topics, promoting equality, access to justice, and legal literacy. Topics such as the court system, family law, and discrimination law are covered in an engaging and practical way, helping each participant develop critical thinking and social skills.
The impact of Street Law
Since its launch by the Law Society in 2013, over 3,000 TY students have participated in Street Law. The programmes highlight is a mock trial hearing at the Criminal Courts of Justice, where students experience the legal system firsthand. By engaging in this initiative, SETU joins a global network inspired by Georgetown University’s original Street Law model, providing students with transformative educational experiences. Final year law and business with law students facilitated 150 TY students from Tyndall College with Street Law workshops, following on from training they had received in the college in February. These workshops were organised by Sadhb Reddy, Law Lecturer in conjunction with the Access Office at SETU.
Marie-Claire O'Boyle, Teacher at Tyndall College, said,
"Student’s found the Street Law Initiative very interesting. They loved the workshops and trying to decide if something is a crime or not. It really enhanced their ability to think logically, debate against each other and listen to others opinions and arguments on different things."
Killian Creed, a third year LLB student at SETU, said,
"Learning about the moral side of society and to not just harshly punish law breakers with no remorse was the best part of the experience."
Following on from a recent series of workshops, Aisling McHugh, Access Officer at SETU, said,
"The Street Law initiative is an engaging and interactive way to introduce students to practical law, while collaborating with schools in the community to enhance learning."
The intention is to continue the collaboration and inviting more local secondary schools in the next academic year.
For more information on studying law at SETU, click here.
