news 14 October 2019

McCann FitzGerald honoured as a Trinity College Benefactor

Trinity College Dublin has inscribed McCann FitzGerald law firm on the Benefactors’ Frieze that adorns the entry to the University’s Dining Hall.   This is Trinity’s permanent and public testament to the generosity of individuals, groups and corporations who have given truly exceptional support to the University through the centuries. 

The inscription was unveiled recently, at a celebration of McCann FitzGerald’s decade-long support of Trinity and the firm’s recent commitment to support the new Trinity Law School building.  This is one of the flagship projects of Trinity’s first public philanthropic campaign, Inspiring Generations, which launched last May with ambitious targets of €400m and 150,000 volunteering hours.

Many Trinity law graduates have built successful careers within McCann FitzGerald, one of Ireland’s leading corporate law firms.  Over the course of the last decade, the firm has deepened its engagement with Trinity by supporting access, diversity and law through initiatives including:

  • TCPID, the Trinity Centre for People with Intellectual Disabilities, which aims to promote the inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities in education and society; in January 2019 TCPID celebrated with the first six graduates from its new two-year Arts, Science and Inclusive Applied Practice course which is aligned to Level 5 of the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ), the first time that students with intellectual disability have been conferred at this level by any university.  A graduate of TCPID has recently been employed at McCann FitzGerald.
  • Trinity Access Pathways to Law initiative, which works to inspire students from underrepresented groups to study law; the collaboration of McCann FitzGerald and other law firms has been crucial to the success of this programme in opening opportunities to talented students from all backgrounds.

The firm also sponsors the McCann FitzGerald Chair of Corporate Law, held by Professor Blanaid Clarke since 2012. Professor Clarke has worked tirelessly to enhance the reputation of the Law School at Trinity College as both a leading global centre for legal research and Ireland’s premier training ground for the finest corporate lawyers of tomorrow.

At the unveiling of this latest addition to the Benefactors’ Frieze, the Provost of Trinity, Patrick Prendergast thanked McCann FitzGerald, represented by Managing Partner Barry Devereux, Patricia Lawless, Head of the firm’s Energy Group and many of their colleagues.

‘By adding McCann FitzGerald’s name to this Benefactors’ Frieze, we commemorate their exceptional support to significant initiatives in Trinity College Dublin that are transformative in the areas of access, education and law.’ – Dr Patrick Prendergast, Provost of Trinity College Dublin.

‘We are extremely proud of our partnership with the Trinity Law School as it continues to empower future leaders of the legal profession. We look forward to deepening this collaboration over the coming years through the firm’s recent commitment to take a leading role in supporting the new Trinity Law School building, and continuing to support the education of Ireland’s lawyers of the future.’ – Barry Devereux, Managing Partner, McCann FitzGerald