Do you love your job?
Or is it a tough struggle at times?
I’m lucky because, generally, I love the work I do. It’s not always a bed of roses, though.
Sometimes it’s stressful, and frustrating, and it can be hard to see progress.
Other times I get a great kick and sense of satisfaction out of helping clients.
Do you want to hear some of their stories?
Let’s take a look…I use fictitious names throughout, by the way.
Firstly, Pavel and Agnieska. They came from Poland and got jobs with a chain of filling stations. They worked their way up through the ranks and both became managers.
I’m not sure when they came to Ireland, but they’re a young couple and last year they came to me to buy their first house in Ireland.
They had no difficulty getting a loan when times were tough and the property market was only beginning to halt its decline.
They bought a nice house for a fair price and now she’s expecting their first child.
Acting on their behalf in the purchase of their first Irish house, and having them place their trust in me, gave a great sense of satisfaction.
Susan is an Irish lady. She’s mature in years and is not too well placed to obtain new employment, to be honest.
But she came to me when she was on sick leave from work due to the bullying and harassment she felt from a male colleague in her workplace.
She told me her story and she had suffered badly with a huge drop in her confidence and a determination that she could not go back to the same job.
After contacting her employer and initiating legal proceedings for breach of contract and non physical personal injuries which she suffered as a result of the bullying, the case was eventually settled to her satisfaction.
I don’t know whether she got a new job or not yet, but the sense of relief that was visible on her face when we settled her claim against her former employer was very obvious.
Mick, on the other hand, came to me shortly after the birth of his daughter. He was unmarried and the mother’s parents did not approve of the relationship.
Consequently, Mick was forbidden from seeing the little girl.
So, Mick came to me to look for a Court order so that he could have regular access to his daughter, and a good healthy relationship.
We also brought an application for guardianship as Mick and the mother of the child were unmarried, and he was not automatically a guardian.
Courts are anxious that fathers who take an interest in their children are allowed to maintain good relationships with them.
So, we had no difficulty getting an access order and having him appointed a guardian too. This allows Mick to have a say when it comes to the global issues concerning the little girl-things like health, religion, education, and so forth.
My work is not always this pleasant or successful. Sometimes my clients are in true “no win” situations, and all I am trying to do is limit the damage and minimize the penalty or adverse outcome.
But cases like the three above make my work a lot easier, and make me love my job (some of the time!).