Richard Murtagh

Law student testimonial

Richard Murtagh, LLB (Hons)

Success! 

After spending six years of my life engaged in part-time study, my Open University (OU) degree is now complete. Today, I am a graduate in Law (hence the letters after my name!), and will soon commence a Masters in European Law, followed by the Bar Professional Training Course -- to qualify as a barrister.

For many people, the OU represents a flexible route to legal education. For me, the OU was my only route. As a child, I was diagnosed with Bone Cancer in my right leg. I endured seven years of chemotherapy and surgery. In the end, my leg had to be amputated. All of this resulted in the disruption of my childhood education. Consequently, I left school with just four GCSE passes. Unlike my friends, I lacked the confidence to embark on A-levels. Instead, I went straight to work.

It was not until my mid-twenties that I decided to pursue a career in the law. However, with no A-levels to speak of, it was unlikely that any ‘conventional’ university would have been willing to accept me. It seemed hopeless.... until I discovered The Open University. As its name suggests, the OU accepts anyone (whatever their past) who is willing to make the commitment to study. The degree is professionally-recognised and created in partnership with the College of Law, which has trained over half the qualified lawyers in England and Wales.

At this point, I could talk about the support I received from my assigned tutors who were always on-hand to assist if ever I became stuck. Or I could tell you about my fellow students at tutorials who were always keen to form study groups in our own time. This all proved essential, but instead, I want to tell you about some of the legal work experience I undertook at the same time as my OU degree. You could say that I took my books ‘on the road’ to obtain real-world experience as I studied. This deepened my insight in a way that NO OTHER UNIVERSITY COULD.

After studying Public Law in the third year, I knew exactly the direction that I wanted my career to take: upholding the rights of citizens against the power of the state; not just in the context of crime, but in all aspects of life where personal freedom is concerned. I was enthralled to learn about the Human Rights Act and how it protects everyone in society, not just those accused of committing crimes. However, the more I learned about human rights, the more aware I became of major abuses happening in the world today. And I wanted to join the fight... today.

I underwent training with ‘AMICUS’ - a charity that places UK law students in death penalty offices throughout the United States. Capital defence lawyers are so poorly paid that they need all the help they can get, even from students. I was soon sent to Mississippi where I spent ten months assisting in the representation of two clients who faced execution by lethal injection (imminently).

At first, I expected to be doing purely ‘admin’ work, like photocopying masses of documents for court hearings, etc. I planned to spend my days photocopying and my evenings studying! However, it quickly became clear that I would be much deeper involved than that, so excellent time-management was crucial for me to provide effective assistance to the condemned men, and submit my OU coursework on time.

I am proud to say that I did it. The OU was very understanding in granting an extension on the one occasion that I struggled to meet a deadline. The OU also arranged for me to sit an exam at the Law School in Mississippi! Surely, I could not have gained this profound work experience without the OU.

Sadly, both clients were executed. However, I witnessed first-hand the flagrant violation of their right to due process and a fair trial. Had these rights been respected, both men would have been sentenced to Life-without-Parole, not death. The experience taught me that simply declaring what our rights are is not enough; every legal system needs passionate lawyers to fight for those rights, constantly and fearlessly.

I now have that passion ... and the degree to take it further.