Simeon Burke, the sibling of incarcerated teacher Enoch Burke, is at risk of shelving his aspirations to practice law in Ireland due to the elusive search for an established barrister to mentor him in the upcoming legal year. To qualify as self-employed barristers aspiring to practice in the local courts and become part of the Law Library, new barristers were obligated to find a ‘master’, chosen from approximately 150 potential mentors, to tutor them through a year of unpaid work. This establishement of mentorship should’ve been completed by 5pm on the past Monday.
According to Bar Council regulations, the onus of seeking out a mentor is chiefly upon the trainee barrister. Consequently, due to his failure in securing a mentor, Burke finds himself excluded from the approximately 80 invitees to a Law Library orientation session scheduled on the following Tuesday at the Library’s Distillery premises in Church Street, Dublin.
The repercussion of his current circumstance could delay the commencement of his practical training to the coming legal year in October, and that also banks on him securing a mentor before then.
Burke pursued his legal education at the University of Galway, Cambridge University, and King’s Inns. As a highly recognised student, he was inducted into the Bar last October during a Supreme Court ceremony led by the Chief Justice.
On Monday afternoon, from outside the Distillery building, Burke expressed his concern regarding potential “immediate exclusion” from practicing Irish law. He accredited this predicament to his “religious beliefs”. Over the previous five years, he detailed his experience as an intern under an established barrister on the western circuit in Ireland, a judicial intern at Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court and a policy intern at a disability rights group. His time as an Iveagh Fellow was also noteworthy. He further emphasized his positive rapport and excellent professional relationships with his coworkers and seniors.
In the lead-up to Monday’s deadline, a communication was exchanged between Mr Burke and the chairman of the Bar Council, Seán Guerin SC. Mr Burke revealed that he’d been unsuccessful in finding a master since October 2022, despite his earnest attempts. He expressed his concern over unequal treatment compared to other Law Library membership applicants who have yet to find a pupillage arrangement. Moreover, he made reference to the council’s assurance to all budding barristers about obtaining a master for their pupillage year, as stated in their submission to the Legal Services Regulatory Authority.
Mr Guerin responded to these concerns last Thursday, stating that his application, along with those of others yet to find a master, was being discussed with potential masters. In addition, he mentioned the council was probing into a particular episode at their booth during the recent National Ploughing Championships, in which Mr Burke’s family had voiced difficulties in locating a suitable master. They claimed the Bar Council did not seem keen on those disapproving the “transgender ideology”. This led to security being summoned.
A representative from the Bar of Ireland chose not to comment about Mr Burke’s predicament when contacted post 5pm on Monday. While the success of another barrister in securing a master remains questionable, sources suggest such an occurrence is quite unlikely.
Mr Burke, who had self-represented his case, successfully appealed against his District Court conviction following a discord sparked by his brother, Enoch’s unsuccessful appeal at the Court of Appeal over an ongoing employment conflict with Wilson’s Hospital school, Co Westmeath earlier in April.