The Gazette 1995

GAZETTE

JULY 1995

Clare Connellan - A Profile

Clare Connellan, the Law Agent of ICC Bank, has recently been appointed as Chairman of the Legal Aid Board. She is the first solicitor to be appointed to this position which is a welcome and sensible development. She is also the first woman to be appointed to the position since it was held by Mella Carroll who is now a High Court judge. She is already enjoying the challenges of her appointment which is for an initial five year period. Clare took time out from her busy schedule to talk to the Gazette. She says there are many live issues facing the Board including the Civil Legal Aid Bill which is currently going through the Dail. "The Board has had a number of meetings already and its members are very enthusiastic", she said. "The Board has a very challenging and exciting future and we hope to continue to provide an efficient service and set up structures to deal with future expansion while ensuring the cost effectiveness of the Legal Aid Scheme." "This is all the more challenging" she continues "given that the annual budget has increased to £6,500,000 and the number of law centres in the last year has increased from seventeen to twenty-six. The Board now employs 75 solicitors and there is further expansion from 1996 planned." Clare qualified as a solicitor in 1969. She worked in her father's practice in Ballyjamesduff in Co. Cavan until her I father died and the family practice was sold. She then moved to Dublin where she ! worked with Barry O'Reilly of P.J. O'Reilly, Solicitors. "Barry O'Reilly was an excellent teacher. Not only did he teach ! me law, but he also taught me a great deal | about organisation and administration of a practice", she said. He encouraged her to get involved in such organisations as the ! Dublin Solicitors Bar Association and the Society of Young Solicitors of which she became Chairman. She also served as a Council member of the Law Society for five years and during that time she was a ! founder member of the Younger Members | Committee, Chairman of the Premises Committee and a member of the Education Committee and Education Advisory | Committee. She is now a member of the Disciplinary Tribunal. She enjoyed her time on the Council but has had to give it up due to family commitments. She had twins at j

that time who are now 11 years old and another child who is 12 years old. She is married to Judge Murrough Connellan, a District Court judge who is also a solicitor. About sixteen years ago she was appointed as a Solicitor in ICC Bank, specialising in the commercial area of the law. Again she says she was lucky to find herself working for another "excellent teacher in Brendan O 'Leary". Initially she was promoted to Senior Solicitor, then to Deputy Law Agent and then Law Agent, the position which she currently holds. She has overall responsibility for providing legal services to the Bank. There are five solicitors and thirteen support staff within the Department. She feels that the financial services area has become so regulated that a strong in-house legal team is vital to financial institutions and indeed any large organisation. "A solicitor has a very important role in making a business successful", she said. There is an important ! role for solicitors to play in business nowadays and she feels strongly that they can add value to a business and be a viable part of a management team. The speed of business life today is such that the prior knowledge of the company and its business which the in-house lawyer possesses is j extremely valuable. "To manage an in- house legal department you have to work i hard at staying up-to-date with the law. You have to strive to streamline working procedures to ensure your department is operating efficiently and cost effectively and you have to communicate with your colleagues to ensure consistency of advices" she says. Given that Clare has been with ICC for sixteen years, it is obvious that she thinks highly of her employers. "They have always facilitated me in getting involved in external activities" she said. She says that ICC Bank is a very quality service orientated organisation. "Solicitors must recognise that they are in a service industry | - providing a good quality service to our clients must be a priority", she said. She I also strives to provide a high quality j service to the Bank by tying legal advice more closely to business objectives and J ensuring that her Bankers are happy with the service they receive from the Law

Department. Of course this in turn will impact on the quality of service which the customer gets from ICC Bank. She enjoys good relations with her colleagues in private practice and being in a specialised area is happy to help and give advice when asked. I asked her view on women with demanding careers and how she herself juggles a demanding career with family life. "It can be difficult to come from managing 17 staff and have to start looking after three children the minute you walk in the door. I think I manage quite well - it is a matter of organisation and forward planning. All spare time is allocated to family but there are times I would love to have a little bit more time for myself' she answered. On the topic of opportunities for women at senior level, she feels it can be difficult to rise to ranks of senior management. "Women have to put in a lot more extra effort to get there" she said. ICC Bank has a policy of equal opportunities for men and women but despite this only two out of fourteen divisional managers are women. Happily things are changing but there is still progress to be made, she feels. Clare Connellan certainly has overcome any obstacles in her way. She has managed to achieve a tremendous amount during her legal career and as Chairman of the Legal Aid Board we wish her well.

Catherine Dolan

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