Owen Paterson, the secretary of state for Northern Ireland, will meet students from the DePaul University College of Law to discuss development and prosperity in his country as well as field questions from DePaul law students.  The event will take place at 4 p.m. March 14 in the Rinn Law Library, 25 E. Jackson Blvd., Rare Book Room.

Paterson is the first Conservative secretary of state in Northern Ireland since 1977. He was appointed to the post in May, 2010.  A graduate of the University of Cambridge, Paterson was first elected Minister for Parliament (MP) for North Shropshire in 1997 and named shadow Northern Ireland secretary in 2007.

As secretary of state, Paterson has responsibility for constitutional and national security issues as well as the licensing and legislation of firearms and explosives. He also is involved in ongoing public inquiries, human rights and electoral policy.

About the College of Law

The DePaul College of Law was established in 1912.  Its research centers and institutes focus on issues such as health law, international human rights law, intellectual property, law and science, death penalty defense, animal law, international aviation law, family law, public interest law, international weapons control and dispute resolution.  Included among DePaul’s alumni are state and federal judges, municipal, county and state leaders and two generations of Chicago mayors.