Nicholas Brennan

Nicholas Brennan
12th President of the Allied Provinces of Laeral
Incumbent
Assumed office December 31st, 2010
Prime Minister	Chen Ting-fei (2010-2012) Gérald Barre (2012-2015) Tanvi Misra (2015-Present)
Minister of Finance
In office September 18th, 2008 – November 1st, 2010
President	Eliot Ganard
Prime Minister	Chen Ting-fei
Minister of Trade
In office March 3rd, 2008 – September 18th, 2008
President	Eliot Ganard
Prime Minister	Chen Ting-fei
Personal details
Born	Marist, Choisel, Laeral
Nationality	Laeralian
Political party	Progressive Party
Height	5 ft 7 in (170 cm)
Spouse(s)	Francette Guichard Brennan

Nicholas Brennan is a Laeralian politician serving as the 12th and current President of the Allied Provinces of Laeral since 2010. Brennan was formerly the Minister of Finance and Minister of Trade, as well as an influential Representative in the Laeralian Assembly of Commons. He succeeded Eliot Ganard of the Laeralian People's Party as President following his victory in the second round of the 2010 Laeralian Presidential Election over Emilien Doucet of the Socialist Party.

Early Life and Education

Brennan was born Nicholas Maxence Brennan on March 27th, 1949 to Gaston and Marguerite Brennan in Marist, the capital of Choisel province. He was the second son of the Catholic couple, between his older brother Etienne and younger sister Henriette. His father, Gaston Brennan, worked as an accountant for local businesses, while his mother was a housewife.

In 1952, when Brennan was four, the Bloody Summer, a violent coup attempt, took place. Brennan's mother was injured in a riot protesting the actions of coup leader Alain Mette, leaving her paralyzed from the waist down. Brennan has said that he has no memory of the Bloody Summer, but has said that seeing the struggles his mother experienced under the limited welfare safety net of the ensuing decades was a major factor in shaping his pro-welfare stance.

While in high school, Brennan intended to become an accountant like his father, but decided on a career in law after his time as the leader of his high school's Mock Trial Association. Brennan attended Causse University, in Meridoc, for his Bachelor's Degree in Pre-law, and attended Emil and Adrienne University for law school, becoming certified as a practicing attorney soon after.

Legal Career

Brennan joined the for-profit legal firm Bonnet & Vidal in 1975, before joining the Laeralian Poverty Rights Compact (LPRC), a non-profit dedicated to protecting the rights of the disadvantaged, in 1976. He achieved some measure of renown while working as an attorney for the LPRC, notably by suing several major businesses for violating the Disabled Laeralites Act of 1968 by failing to provide wheelchair-accessible ramps at their facilities. During the presidential election of 1976, Brennan was involved in a case accusing Conservative Party candidate Alain Bricout of violating campaign finance laws, which was thrown out by the court. Brennan was offered a seat on the Laeralian Poverty Rights Compact Board of Directors in 1977.

Representative

Following his involvement in the high-profile Bricout case, the opposition Progressive Party offered Brennan a position on their legal team. Brennan accepted in 1978, becoming a senior member of the Progressive Legal Defense Committee. He was responsible for defending in court Progressive Party operations and members. In 1980, he was transferred away from active legal work to become a member of the influential Progressive Executive Committee on Policy's Subcommittee for Justice, responsible for writing Progressive positions on the actions of the Justice Ministry.