Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank witnesses for attending. Forgive me if my questions are a little different as I do not know enough about this matter but I am interested to learn about it. To follow up on Deputy O'Callaghan's point on education and opportunity, he made the point that the efforts we have been making to bring more diversity and societal representation into the Judiciary have not been easy. We are up against serious obstacles. Regarding people studying law, it is fair to say that the vast majority of people becoming solicitors and barristers come from a well off background. Many of them come from private schools. It is an elitist profession. For example, I know a girl who trained to be solicitor and when she had completed her training it was as if she had to serve her time in that she was paid very little for the first few years. One could not do that without parental support. Only those who come from well off families could possibly spend so long trying to get on the first rung of the ladder at which point they could get a decent wage. The system seems to be structured to keep it elitist. Will the authority be able to challenge that?