Q&A: Summer Abroad Creates Lasting Impact For Youngest Irish Barrister

Wonder what it’s like to work at the Ohio Innocence Project? Marie-Louise Donovan, 24, of Ireland found out. And it’s an experience that changed her forever.

Donovan grew up in a rural area overlooking the Shannon Estuary where her parents are high school teachers. Education was the cornerstone of their house and it shows. She became the youngest Irish barrister — an attorney — in South West Ireland. And she was chosen to spend her summer at the Ohio Innocence Project, located in the University of Cincinnati’s College of Law.

Her list of degrees is nothing short of impressive. Donovan has earned a bachelor’s of Civil Law from the University College Cork (2011), a Barrister-at-Law degree from The Honorable Society of Kings Inns in Dublin, and following that she was called to the Bar of Ireland (2012).

You’re the youngest person to qualify as a barrister in Ireland? How does that feel? 

You know I never really paid much attention to it, it just kind of happened that way. My parents started me in school quite young, and all of my classmates and friends have always been a year or two older than me, but otherwise I made the pretty normal transition up through our school system, and I finished college when I was 19. I considered taking a year out then and doing the New York Bar Exam, maybe spending some time in New York. But it just made more sense to me to continue on and pass the Bar in Ireland first and go from there. It was like a train ride, and I didn't get off until I was there in the Supreme Court in my wig and gown for my official call to the bar ceremony. That was about two weeks after my 21st birthday. I think everything happens for a reason, and there are advantages and disadvantages to starting out in this business so young. But it's all about what you focus on. Some days I'm conscious people are looking at me in court like “What's this little girl doing here? Does she think it's a fancy dress party?” But time and youth are luxuries, and I intend to enjoy them.

Why did you decide to become a barrister?

From a very young age, I had a great sense of justice and equality, a family friend christened me “The Little Judge.” I've always admired people who fight for those ideals, people like Martin Luther King, Gandhi, Nelson Mandela. They've always been my idols. My favorite Martin Luther King quote hangs on my wall at home: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” I was also intrigued by the psyche of those who committed terrible crimes. I hate media labels such as “murderers” and “rapists.” I've always seen people as just that… people. And I wanted to delve deeper into their lives and explore why they made those decisions or what caused certain events to happen. The whole area just fascinated me, and I was really lucky in that I knew what I wanted and never considered an alternative career path. 

How did you hear about UC and the Ohio Innocence Project?  

Every year, the Bar Council of Ireland offers three young barristers the opportunity to participate in a summer placement at various Innocence Projects across America. The competition is always very high, and I actually interviewed for a place when I was 21 and in my first year of practice, but I was unsuccessful. I remember being disappointed at the time, but I put in my name again this year, and luckily I got offered a place in Cincinnati with the Ohio Innocence Project. Two other barristers went to work on the Wisconsin Innocence Project and the Washington, D.C., Innocence Project, respectively. 

What did you learn while at OIP for two months? 

I learned so much in my short time at OIP, from the fatal flaws in the criminal justice system, to the extent of police corruption, to the many cruel injustices that befall innocent and undeserving people. It opened my eyes to the harsher side of the criminal justice system we use and in particular, the jury system. I also learned so much about human nature, and the forgiving nature of the exonerees just blew me away. I think working at OIP and having that type of deep insight into people’s lives gives you a lot of perspective on your own life. I definitely went home feeling more appreciative for all I have been blessed with. I think the work OIP does is so emotionally and mentally draining, but then you look around the office at all of these students and attorneys who are passionately devoting their time to helping those in such desperate need of help. They help people that the rest of the world has turned its backs on, and in that way it was a really inspiring place to work. It definitely restored my faith in humanity.

What will you take back to Ireland? 

We had a lot of helpful lectures at the start of the summer on topics such as DNA, witness testimony, recantations, the dangers of “junk science.” For example, things I think a lot of lawyers might take for granted, such as how a cell provider can track and pinpoint an approximate area of use of a cell phone. But that they can in fact be wrong. The dangers of identifying suspects using forensic science techniques such as fingerprint identification, bite marks, hairs found at the scene, without any real solid scientific evidence to back up these so-called tests. Basically, much of what you see on TV shows such as CSI are actually unrealistic ideals created by writers for entertainment purposes. And all of the American crime shows are also very popular in Ireland, so they are actually influencing jurors which in turn influences a decision in a trial. So really to be a good criminal defense lawyer, absolutely every aspect of the prosecution’s case needs to be queried and challenged, including what we call expert witnesses.

What is one thing you won’t soon forget about OIP? 

The very first case I got really touched me, and I was lucky enough to meet that inmate on a prison visit. It's just a very surreal experience to sit in a room with a man who has served nearly 30 years of a life sentence for a very cruel murder that you believe him to be innocent of. And just to see the patience, the tolerance, the hope he exhibited, despite the enormous injustice being done to him, was incredible. It made me ashamed to think of how I would act or behave, were I in his shoes, if my life and everything I knew were taken from me in such a manner. I'll never forget he had this fantastic overriding faith that obviously kept him going, and I think of him often now, and pray that with the continued help of the Ohio Innocence Project, he'll one day have his freedom and good name returned to him. 

What was your favorite thing about Cincinnati? 

Outside of OIP, I loved my neighborhood. I lived in the Gaslight District in Clifton, and my house was this turreted mansion that literally looked like the house from “Sabrina the Teenage Witch.” I lived with a very interesting mix of people to say the least. I could write a book on all of the people I encountered, but it was all part of the experience, and you have a wonderful city. I studied German all through school, and I've visited Germany a couple of times, so I loved spotting the German influence around the city, as well as the Irish of course. But it's the people who make a place, and I'm so grateful for everyone who extended such warmth and kindness during my stay in Cincinnati.

UC is a fabulous campus. You've got so many amenities, and the grounds are so well maintained. Again, the staff in the Law School were all incredibly friendly and helpful, and when you're living in a foreign country alone, that makes all the difference.

What are your career goals? 

I also want to continue to help people, and I want that to always be my focus, and everything else to be secondary. You get into this game when you're young and idealistic, and a combination of experience and the sheer ruthlessness of the business kind of knocks that out of it, the novelty wears off. But my work at OIP has definitely reminded me of why I chose to work in the field of law and justice, and I'm grateful for that.

Where are you now?

I'm now working as a barrister in South West Ireland. It's essentially a lawyer but we have two types of lawyers — barristers and solicitors — here, it's the British legal system. Solicitors are a client’s first port of call and work in firms much like in the U.S. They do a lot of the paperwork in a case, and they hire a barrister to do the court advocacy.I volunteer at Free Legal Aid Clinics once a month where disadvantaged members of the public can come in and receive legal advice for their problems at no cost. I really enjoy that and hope to continue with it into the future. To have people come to you in such a distressed state and to see them leave that a bit more relieved and at ease is really rewarding, and I find it builds my confidence and gives me a sense of purpose.