This feature is part of the Women’s Collective Ireland- Donegal, “Women’s Lives, Women’s Voices’ series. Written by Siobhan Cullen LLb Msc Solicitor Mediator. This story recounts Siobhan’s life from childhood, her passion for justice and equality and the journey that led to her being appointed as one of the Equality Commissioners for Northern Ireland.
I have always had a strong interest in equality and anti-discrimination policies, possibly due to my upbringing by Irish emigrant parents in North London. My dad was from Dublin and mum is from Donegal and they moved to London in 1960 where they lived for 40 years before returning to Donegal. We lived in a very diverse and multi-ethnic community on a council estate which was a brilliant experience in terms of developing social skills, resilience and acted as a grounding for my interest in equality.
I recall incidents during the 1970’s and 1980’s involving discriminatory behaviour by the authorities. One thing I recall is the regular police questioning of my next-door neighbours, who were from the West Indies, about their whereabouts when a crime had been committed locally. There was also some anti-Irish sentiment during the 1980’s and I vividly remember anti-Irish graffiti being sprayed locally during the troubles.
I felt very much part of the Irish community in London and social justice was often on my mind so, at the age of 14, I decided that I wanted to become a criminal defence solicitor. As the first person in my family to go to college, I attended Middlesex University in Hendon aged 18. I initially felt slightly challenged and lacking in confidence as a student. I’ve always empathised with students who feel this way as I remember it well, especially on the first day when I was tempted to leave the lecture hall amid many vocal and confident peers. It was the empathy and inclusive attitude of certain lecturers that engaged me, something I later aspired to become in my own teaching career.
I obtained a first-class law degree and qualified as a solicitor three years later, aged 24, specialising in criminal defence and family law. I worked for eight years in a legal aid firm in Tottenham, North London during which time I probably learnt more than during any other time in my life.
This experience shaped me and made me who I am today, without a doubt. It was fulfilling work but also challenging as many clients had suffered trauma and abuse as well as having addiction and mental health issues. I spent much of my time in police stations and court and represented clients in every type of case imaginable, some very traumatic.
I really enjoyed the family law work, representing many women in domestic violence applications and child-care proceedings. I found representing clients in court, especially juvenile cases, so incredibly interesting and fulfilling. It was also challenging as legal aid work was hugely under-funded, something which has unfortunately disimproved even more in recent years. In my view, legal aid is a crucial aspect of access to justice which was my entire purpose back then and this remains so today. I also volunteered for FLAC during this time and set up a legal advice clinic in the local psychiatric hospital.
In 1999 I moved to Ireland, always my “spiritual home”, and undertook a Masters in Equality Studies at UCD and then begun an academic career with Letterkenny Institute of Technology (LYIT) where I remained for twenty-two years. I loved working with students and delivered modules in Family & Child Law, Legal Systems, Restorative Justice, Tort, Law in Action, Mediation and Street Law, the latter of which is my all-time favourite aspect of legal education.
Street Law is a form of public legal education whereby law students are trained to deliver law programmes in schools and community settings, developing their skills through experiential learning but also really enhancing the legal knowledge of the participants. It helps to remove the mystique and elitism often associated with law and build legal literacy skills within communities which really enables people to embrace the law, use it to their advantage and not view it as something to be feared.
I developed the Street Law programme at LYIT with a brilliant colleague who has a similar interest in experiential learning, and we worked with many fantastic students, many of whom I am still in contact with as they embark upon and continue their professional careers. This is one advantage of social media as it makes networking and keeping in touch with alumni so much easier, which is mutually beneficial. I was Head of Department of Law, Public Service and Education for 5 years and then took a career break last year to embrace some new and exciting challenges.
I joined the Open University as a law lecturer, and I cannot speak highly enough of the OU’s policies and practices in relation to accessibility, inclusivity, and student-centred ethos. It really does walk the walk. The flexibility of online distance learning is so appealing, the student body is diverse with many students having full-time jobs and family commitments, caring responsibilities and some residing in secure accommodation. Colleagues are incredibly supportive of each other as well as students and the social justice ethos prevails at every level. The fairness and equality which underpins every aspect of the OU, from student-facing policies to staff policies, is authentic and an exemplar of what EDI means in practice. An example would be that every assessment is reviewed by several critical readers to ensure compliance with policies and accessibility to all students with alternative versions provided for students with additional needs or accessibility issues.
My recent appointment as an Equality Commissioner for Northern Ireland (ECNI) has really been extremely fulfilling. I am privileged to work with such a brilliant organisation, supporting and maintaining equality by monitoring compliance with statutory duties, providing legal assistance in legal actions and raising awareness. The work undertaken by the commission is crucial and some of the recently successful cases are testament to this. This is a particularly challenging time in Northern Ireland with post-Brexit issues and I am honoured to work with fantastic colleagues, both commissioners and the legal officers/ full-time staff to support the community through these challenging times.
I am also a Tribunal member with the Mental Health Commission as I have always had a strong interest in mental health, and I strongly believe that the Tribunals play a vital role in upholding human rights and rights of persons detained.
I have recently been appointed as a Tribunal member with IPAT (International Protection Appeals Tribunal) which hears appeals from applicants seeking refugee status and/or subsidiary protection.
I’m on the Board of Donegal Sports Partnership, an amazing organisation based entirely on the ethos of inclusivity, accessibility with a real focus on sport for those of us with additional needs as well as gender and ethnicity.
I am currently Chair of Donegal Women’s Centre which provides invaluable services to local women, including medical, counselling and programme facilitation. Again, there is a great team delivering these vital services with such commitment and drive which is a common theme in the community/ voluntary sector.
I am also a voluntary panel assessor with Athena Swan Ireland which considers applications from HEI’s for gender equality recognition, a very significant development within the education sector. Gender equality is an issue that is very high on my personal agenda from every perspective, and I am delighted to have been appointed Athena Swan lead at the OU Law School for 2023/24.
I hope my story, including humble beginnings, initial lack of confidence as a law student and the development of my career trajectory will inspire other women to follow their dreams.
If in doubt, I would say to volunteer as this is such a good pathway to experience and demonstrates commitment. I have always done some voluntary work and hopefully this will continue. The common theme in all my current roles is teamwork and commitment which are key to supporting communities and developing change.
There are so many aspects to law, some more lucrative than others, yet I find that the areas I have chosen to work in are the most fulfilling for me personally.
I started working in criminal defence, my dream aged 14, and I am now in a place I have always wanted to be, enhancing equality and human rights with only one goal in mind, improving access to both justice and education for everyone.
WCI-Donegal are always looking for women to share their stories and looking for women to write features on topics of their choice which we will profile as part of our Women’s Lives, Women’s Voices’ series.
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