Anne Marie James

Ms James takes over from Ann Marie Gill, who has chaired the organisation’s board of directors since 2015 and completed her term at the end of June at the recent launch of its annual report for 2023.

A member of the DRCC board since 2019, Ms James is the previous deputy chair of the board of directors.

She is a practising solicitor and managing partner of Kirwan McKeown James Solicitors. She has also campaigned on a range of social issues such as the repeal of the Eighth Amendment and marriage equality.

She was previously a member of the board of The Ark, a cultural centre for children, and is a member of the Institute of Directors as well as a mentor for young professional female lawyers as part of the Law Society of Ireland mentoring programme.

Rachel Morrogh, CEO of Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, said: “I am delighted that Anne Marie James has begun her term as chair, having worked closely with her during her time as deputy chair. She has considerable governance experience and is a passionate advocate for victims of sexual violence.

“I am looking forward to working alongside her and the rest of the board to deliver the mission and vision of Dublin Rape Crisis Centre over the coming years.”

Ms James said: “As incoming chair I wish to commend my predecessor, Ann Marie Gill, for her commitment to the organisation, and the energy she brought to the role. I look forward to working closely with the Board, the staff of DRCC and our CEO, Rachel Morrogh.

“It is my intention to continue to build on the progress made by DRCC advocating for victims of sexual crimes. We have campaigned for improvements to the legal rights of victims, and campaigned for judicial training and increased resources from the state to help victims.

“Ireland still does not adequately serve victims of sexual violence, victims still face stigmatisation and re-traumatisation. A cultural shift is needed which can only be delivered through changes in legislation and improved education of our society.”