A homebird on the wing
Sinead is a Legal Consultant in our Dubai office
Sinead loves Ireland, her home country, and has very close ties with her family there: in fact, she’s always thought of herself as something of a homebird. And perhaps at heart she is, but, having studied in New York and worked in London before moving to Dubai in 2016, she’s definitely a homebird on the wing.
Born in London to Irish parents, some of her early years were spent in Saudi Arabia where her father, a Consultant Physician, had gone to work in the late ‘80s. The family also moved around to various places in Ireland, before settling in Wexford. On reflection, Sinead feels these early years were a brilliant education, enabling her to meet new people easily and adapt readily to different situations.
Sinead’s parents always encouraged her and her older sister and younger brother to develop their independence and find their own path. They didn’t put any pressure on their children to follow their own medical and teaching careers and were supportive of whatever they might want to do – although they did encourage them to pursue a higher education. Ironically, the fact that the children were encouraged to be independent is probably one of the reasons the family now remains so close.
Before deciding to pursue a career as a Trade Mark Attorney Sinead had another fleeting ambition: to become an actress. She studied speech and drama at school and loved the freedom of expression it provided. Having spent some time on sets during and after University as an extra, and enrolled in some acting classes, she ultimately preferred something more secure that would produce a regular income … but never say never!
When she graduated from University College Dublin in 2008, with a degree in Business and Law, Ireland had entered recession and career prospects had shrunk. She used the situation as an opportunity to specialise in IP, an area that had piqued her interest, combining, as it does, her commercial and legal interests.
While researching various universities in Ireland she began considering options further afield. She had always wanted to go to the US for either work or travel. Again with the support of her parents, she found an opportunity to study there and enrolled in the Master of Laws Intellectual Property and Information Technology programme at Fordham University School of Law, New York. It was challenging, but an extremely rewarding experience, quite unlike anything she’d done before. Many lectures took the form of round-table discussions where you were expected to have an informed opinion on everything. She was mixing with students of many different nationalities, which formed the base of an ever-growing international network.
Her next step took her to London where she trained and qualified as a Trade Mark Attorney at a leading IP firm, Boult Wade Tennant. There, she gained a wealth of experience in portfolio management and IP strategy, for both domestic and global clients. She really enjoyed her time in London, both professionally and socially. In fact, a month after arriving, she had met her future husband, Andrew.
Hesitant at first when Andrew, who works in the advertising industry, suggested they consider moving to Dubai, Sinead agreed provided they both got good jobs, which, luckily, they did. The work across the region is both challenging and rewarding and Sinead has had the opportunity to assist a wide and interesting variety of clients.
They’ve now been there for three years and are still very much enjoying life in Dubai. At weekends they like to go exploring the city and its many restaurants and meeting up with friends. Andrew especially enjoys playing golf - it’s the perfect place for that. It’s also a great base for travelling, both back to Ireland, which they do a lot, and further afield. Eventually Sinead and Andrew would like to end up back in Ireland, but who knows where the next step will take them.