This year, the Dublin News UK office launched the Mark Sinclair Internship in memory of Mark who was the company's Irish in-house counsel from 2007 until he sadly passed away in 2013.

 

The internship was opened to undergraduate law students at University College Dublin. Those interested wrote a short article on 'whether juries should be abolished in Irish defamation claims'.

David Ward was the chosen winner, he interned with the team for two weeks this August, working on a number of media law related projects, and his article will be published in the Irish issue of the Sunday Times later this month.

Read David's blog below about his experience:

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I went into News UK and Ireland not knowing what to expect from my time there. Most law students’ internships range from a couple of weeks in small practice to a whole summer in one of the larger commercial firms. The Mark Sinclair programme presented an opportunity to do something different, which really appealed to me.

The relationship between the media and the law was also something that had interested me during my studies at UCD, so when the opportunity presented itself I decided to apply and thankfully I was successful in my application. The team at News UK & Ireland did their utmost to welcome me for the couple of weeks I was there.

I was very much involved in the many legal issues that arose every day. My daily tasks included compiling information and statistics from closed files, as well as drafting letters and even conducting research for current cases. What really helped me to learn as I worked was consistent constructive feedback on the work I was doing. That really made the internship a worthwhile experience.

It was very interesting to see the practical side of the legal principles I had studied in college. Overall I got a great insight into how lawyers with a specific skill set apply those skills within the company, both pre-publication, going through every article with a fine tooth comb and also post-publication dealing with various complaints and allegations of defamation. One thing this internship has made me more aware of is just how fundamental a team of expert legal advisors is to any media organisation.

Overall the experience was very enjoyable for me. It was a big step in the right direction in terms of starting my career. I was also very grateful to the editorial team at the Sunday Times for agreeing to publish my application article and to Mr Hugh Hannigan for all of his help and advice.