Of course you missed me!

I was visiting someone in St James' Hospital the other day and they were having a lovely lunch. Just goes to show that private healthcare won't buy you everything.

Don't get me started, I have to watch my blood pressure!

floatingingalway wrote:

Don't get me started, I have to watch my blood pressure!

Our local hospital is knee deep in grime, but the home cooking is ace, and the tea tray comes around every 15 minutes on the nail.

In the UK hospital food is less than the daily nutritional requirement for survival. You have to order in.

My experience of UK hospitals (which is considerable) is very different to that, cactus.

johnfás wrote:

My experience of UK hospitals (which is considerable) is very different to that, cactus.

Perhaps more up to date. Its ten years since I was there: perhaps they lost too many to malnutrition.

http://www.bsg.org.uk/pdf_word_docs/enteral.pdf

Ard-Taoiseach wrote:

Respvblica wrote:

Kate P wrote:

Re Ard's avatar, I'm afraid I'm going to take some of the credit for that. There was a time when he doffed his dark materials for something less interesting and to be honest, considerably less memorable and I was an enthusiastic activist on the campaign to get him to bring back Darth. I can't imagine him any other way.

Great work Kate in work in getting Ard to bring back Darth and the Galactic Empire. Whenever I see someone getting angry on the forum I remember the evil emperors words to Luke in the Death Star.

"Good I can feel your anger. Anger leads to the dark side. With every passing moment you make yourself my disciple (cackle)".

I remember Kate P was quite(and rightfully so) insistent on me returning to Darth Vader. It was during the summer and I felt like trying out a lighter look. However, this look is the one which suits me better.

I do love that quote Respvblica and I do love the Galactic Empire in Star Wars. They're way better than that insufferable Rebel Alliance.

I heartally agree AT. The most nauseatingly whiney rebellion of all time I think.

Respvblica wrote:

Ard-Taoiseach wrote:

Respvblica wrote:

Kate P wrote:

Re Ard's avatar, I'm afraid I'm going to take some of the credit for that. There was a time when he doffed his dark materials for something less interesting and to be honest, considerably less memorable and I was an enthusiastic activist on the campaign to get him to bring back Darth. I can't imagine him any other way.

Great work Kate in work in getting Ard to bring back Darth and the Galactic Empire. Whenever I see someone getting angry on the forum I remember the evil emperors words to Luke in the Death Star.

"Good I can feel your anger. Anger leads to the dark side. With every passing moment you make yourself my disciple (cackle)".

I remember Kate P was quite(and rightfully so) insistent on me returning to Darth Vader. It was during the summer and I felt like trying out a lighter look. However, this look is the one which suits me better.

I do love that quote Respvblica and I do love the Galactic Empire in Star Wars. They're way better than that insufferable Rebel Alliance.

I heartally agree AT. The most nauseatingly whiney rebellion of all time I think.

Indeed it is, Ard. 'Don't go changin', we like you just the way you are' - to paraphrase Billy Joel. Johnfás on the other hand, has had some great variety in his avatars. My favourite is the one of his feet in the clear water. There were a few watery ones and I like them all. Your own pics are great Johnfás - more of them please...

I came across this yesterday and I think you'll like it. Wish it was longer though.

I went for a good walk up Ticknock on Sunday, realised half way up that I had forgotten my camera. Pity really because it was a nice clear day.

johnfás wrote:

Where are you doing your law, evercloserunion?

TCD - hence the 4 main subjects as opposed to a more semesterized system (which I'm hoping I don't see in my time).

Glad to see someone here shares my interest. What is your background in the subject? Student, practitioner, etc.?

My degree is History and Politics, I did a Postgraduate Diploma in Law at DIT last year and I sat 5 Law Society FE-1's there a couple of weeks ago (Company, Property, Tort, Equity, European).

Interesting! Did you find it easy to slip into Law from History & Politics? It's amazing how many people take the FE1s after doing non-law undergrad courses, I know one guy who started off studying radiotherapy and eventually found himself sitting FE1s, don't know how he did it.

I think it depends on the subject really. For instance, I slipped into European Law really easy and in fact I found the FE-1 exam alot easier than some law graduates I know. That is probably because the European Union was a huge area of my politics undergraduate degree so I perhaps knew the Union better than the law graduates who may have taken it for a term in first year and then avoided it. Something like Equity or Tort took a bit more getting used to.

You hear people saying that History and Politics are a good degree to transfer into law. I guess it is true to an extent as the study of law uses similar skills in terms studying and composition. Politics equips you very well for Constitutional and European but I think that is about the extent of it.

I know someone who has an engineering degree and is now doing very well in one of the large firms. I would imagine it is because he can bring something different to interactions with clients.

Indeed - Henry Murdoch (I think it's Henry anyway), the man behind the authoritative dictionary of Irish law, was also a chartered engineer I believe. And I am currently the TCD campus manager for a leading international law firm, which employs 50-50 law and non-law students.

Any jobs going?

I am right this minute filling out all those forms, some have to be in on Friday - *groan*. What can I bring to their firm, what skills do I possess blah blah blah....

johnfás wrote:

I think it depends on the subject really. For instance, I slipped into European Law really easy and in fact I found the FE-1 exam alot easier than some law graduates I know. That is probably because the European Union was a huge area of my politics undergraduate degree so I perhaps knew the Union better than the law graduates who may have taken it for a term in first year and then avoided it. Something like Equity or Tort took a bit more getting used to.

You hear people saying that History and Politics are a good degree to transfer into law. I guess it is true to an extent as the study of law uses similar skills in terms studying and composition. Politics equips you very well for Constitutional and European but I think that is about the extent of it.

I know someone who has an engineering degree and is now doing very well in one of the large firms. I would imagine it is because he can bring something different to interactions with clients.

I know a few guys with technical degrees and, of course, the experience from practice in technical areas who are now Patent Lawyers. Mind you, Patent Lawyers are a breed apart and whenever i talk to them, I never get the feeling we are talking the same language (whether we are both speaking German or English).

Slim Buddha wrote:

johnfás wrote:

I think it depends on the subject really. For instance, I slipped into European Law really easy and in fact I found the FE-1 exam alot easier than some law graduates I know. That is probably because the European Union was a huge area of my politics undergraduate degree so I perhaps knew the Union better than the law graduates who may have taken it for a term in first year and then avoided it. Something like Equity or Tort took a bit more getting used to.

You hear people saying that History and Politics are a good degree to transfer into law. I guess it is true to an extent as the study of law uses similar skills in terms studying and composition. Politics equips you very well for Constitutional and European but I think that is about the extent of it.

I know someone who has an engineering degree and is now doing very well in one of the large firms. I would imagine it is because he can bring something different to interactions with clients.

I know a few guys with technical degrees and, of course, the experience from practice in technical areas who are now Patent Lawyers. Mind you, Patent Lawyers are a breed apart and whenever i talk to them, I never get the feeling we are talking the same language (whether we are both speaking German or English).

I've a technical degree and I thought of doing the INtellectual Property course in Munich once, although it seems a bit boring. I'd like to do the classics or something. But I'd also like to do zoology and cosmology. In reality I'll never get the time or have the money to buy the leiasure to do any of those.
So much for that! What about people going in the other direction.Would you ever have an arts/legal person doing a technical degree in their 30s/40s? I've never heard of that.

johnfás wrote:

Any jobs going?

I am right this minute filling out all those forms, some have to be in on Friday - *groan*. What can I bring to their firm, what skills do I possess blah blah blah....

There are always jobs going - that's why they need people like me! The only thing is that, as they're London-based and don't have an office in Ireland, it would mean working abroad and attaining a British qualification (though they have many offices around the world so you wouldn't necessarily be working in London). I presume since you've done some FE1s already that you've your heart set on working in Ireland, but sure PM me if you're interested!

SlimBuddha wrote:

I know a few guys with technical degrees and, of course, the experience from practice in technical areas who are now Patent Lawyers. Mind you, Patent Lawyers are a breed apart and whenever i talk to them, I never get the feeling we are talking the same language (whether we are both speaking German or English).

Yes, patent lawyers and IP lawyers in general benefit greatly from non-law experiences. This is increasingly so because of the rise in litigation over cyber-IP, which I think is really coming to transform the market (as I have said elsewhere on this site I don't yet study IP law but I find it very interesting). Most areas of corporate and commercial law, in fact, benefit from experience in the business as well as the legal world because of the increasingly complex nature of commercial transactions and litigation. This, of course, was one of the main reasons for the establishment of the commercial list of the High Court - the need for a dedicated and specialized bench of judges who have at least a vague idea of what they're talking about when it comes to commercial issues.

evercloserunion wrote:

johnfás wrote:

Where are you doing your law, evercloserunion?

TCD - hence the 4 main subjects as opposed to a more semesterized system (which I'm hoping I don't see in my time).

Oh you will. Semesterisation afflicts Trinity come next academic year. It's frightfully European in its inclinations!

Respvblica wrote:

Ard-Taoiseach wrote:

Respvblica wrote:

Kate P wrote:

Re Ard's avatar, I'm afraid I'm going to take some of the credit for that. There was a time when he doffed his dark materials for something less interesting and to be honest, considerably less memorable and I was an enthusiastic activist on the campaign to get him to bring back Darth. I can't imagine him any other way.

Great work Kate in work in getting Ard to bring back Darth and the Galactic Empire. Whenever I see someone getting angry on the forum I remember the evil emperors words to Luke in the Death Star.

"Good I can feel your anger. Anger leads to the dark side. With every passing moment you make yourself my disciple (cackle)".

I remember Kate P was quite(and rightfully so) insistent on me returning to Darth Vader. It was during the summer and I felt like trying out a lighter look. However, this look is the one which suits me better.

I do love that quote Respvblica and I do love the Galactic Empire in Star Wars. They're way better than that insufferable Rebel Alliance.

I heartally agree AT. The most nauseatingly whiney rebellion of all time I think.

Exactly. The Empire look, sound and act better than those worthless twerps in that godawful camouflage gear on Endor. They should just accept the Emperor's will and be done with it. He's way better than some wimp like Supreme Chancellor Valorum.

Ard-Taoiseach wrote:

Respvblica wrote:

Ard-Taoiseach wrote:

Respvblica wrote:

Kate P wrote:

Re Ard's avatar, I'm afraid I'm going to take some of the credit for that. There was a time when he doffed his dark materials for something less interesting and to be honest, considerably less memorable and I was an enthusiastic activist on the campaign to get him to bring back Darth. I can't imagine him any other way.

Great work Kate in work in getting Ard to bring back Darth and the Galactic Empire. Whenever I see someone getting angry on the forum I remember the evil emperors words to Luke in the Death Star.

"Good I can feel your anger. Anger leads to the dark side. With every passing moment you make yourself my disciple (cackle)".

I remember Kate P was quite(and rightfully so) insistent on me returning to Darth Vader. It was during the summer and I felt like trying out a lighter look. However, this look is the one which suits me better.

I do love that quote Respvblica and I do love the Galactic Empire in Star Wars. They're way better than that insufferable Rebel Alliance.

I heartally agree AT. The most nauseatingly whiney rebellion of all time I think.

Exactly. The Empire look, sound and act better than those worthless twerps in that godawful camouflage gear on Endor. They should just accept the Emperor's will and be done with it. He's way better than some wimp like Supreme Chancellor Valorum.

Sadly the political correct ones, led by the woman and the Fish admiral managed to beat all the white males in return of the Jedi, despite the latter having the best equipment and the best suits.
If George Lucas wasnt a democrat it might have been the other way round

Respvblica wrote:

Sadly the political correct ones, led by the woman and the Fish admiral managed to beat all the white males in return of the Jedi, despite the latter having the best equipment and the best suits.
If George Lucas wasnt a democrat it might have been the other way round

Yeah, exactly how can a bunch of Abba rejects and Care Bears defeat the might of the Galactic Empire at its height? Total nonsense and a big disappointment. The Empire is so much better than the lumpenprole Alliance. The Emperor's personal guard are just awesome in their fabulous scarlet garb. They ooze monarchic chic.

johnfás wrote:

My degree is History and Politics, I did a Postgraduate Diploma in Law at DIT last year and I sat 5 Law Society FE-1's there a couple of weeks ago (Company, Property, Tort, Equity, European).

No criminal, johnfás? Anyone here do any criminal law?

I'm sitting criminal, constitutional and contract in March - beginning to study them next week . They don't let you away with avoiding any of them!!

Good stuff. Though I don't know why anyone would be interested in contract or property law as careers when criminal is so much more interesting because, I think, people and their motivations and emotions are at the centre of it.