Interviews

Barristers appearing in the most serious criminal cases in Northern Ireland are effectively being asked to do twice the work for half the pay they were getting two decades ago, the chairperson of the Bar of Northern Ireland has told Irish Legal News. Donal Lunny KC, who took up office in September,

It’s a long way — in every sense — from swimming in the sea off Australia’s fabled Bondi Beach to a dive into the dramatically more glacial waters off Sandycove, south-east of the city of Dublin. Dannie Hanna, a senior member of Taylor Wessing's corporate team, has however sh

ILN's Connor Beaton talks to Philippa Greer about how UNRWA is battling to preserve international humanitarian law in Gaza, where at least 42,800 Palestinians have now been killed in Israel's military response to the October 7 attack. Philippa Greer had already accepted the top job in UNRWA’s

When Marie O'Brien spoke to Irish Legal News, it was from a hotel half an hour away from Istanbul Airport, a major international hub and the second busiest airport in Europe. The location was an appropriate one: the partner and head of the finance department at A&L Goodbody in Dublin is also the

If, as Shakespeare nearly said, some are born lawyers… and some have the law thrust upon them, Flor McCarthy certainly appears to fit the latter. The Clonakilty-based solicitor is managing partner at McCarthy + Co LLP, which was founded by his mother Ann in 1987. Ann had, unusually, re-qualif

Talking with Joan Crawford, the chief executive of the Legal Aid Board, is a refreshing engagement with positivity. It’s an approach she clearly brings to the office as well as to her many sporting and social interests. The media frequently highlights the challenges facing the legal aid sector

Pro bono work has been "mainstreamed into the Irish legal culture" — but that was not the case until relatively recently, FLAC chief executive Eilis Barry points out. When Ms Barry joined the legal charity FLAC in 2016, Éamonn Conlon SC, then a partner in A&L Goodbody LLP, had just

At the beginning of this month, 285 people seeking international protection were moved from a makeshift campsite outside the International Protection Office (IPO) in Dublin’s Mount Street. Weeks later, 55 asylum seekers set up camp along the Grand Canal just hours after another tent clearance.

The adoption this week of the UK’s controversial Safety of Rwanda Bill generated ripples (or rather waves) of concern that reached far beyond Britain’s shores. One of those most concerned was Michael O’Flaherty, the Irish human rights lawyer who has just been appointed Council of E

Joanna Robinson is used to long and demanding journeys. The partner at Pinsent Masons in Belfast is already preparing for the Chicago Marathon in October, having completed her first such event in Dublin last year. On the promise, she rather ruefully recalls that it was going to be a very flat route

As mergers, acquisitions and strategic representation arrangements have altered the Irish legal scene, the Big Four accountants haven’t been slow to see the opportunity to transform themselves from audit firms to multidisciplinary professional services operations. Having made their first foray

The cost-of-living crisis, a protracted war in Ukraine and a vicious conflict in the Middle East are among the emergencies that have meant a stressful year for many of us. Some upcoming respite over the Christmas and New Year break will be welcome. Sadly, though, that won’t be the case for eve

Time is something of a scarce commodity for solicitor Susan Martin. Like the principal of any independent law firm, she has been dealing with the inescapable practicalities of life that kick in at this time of year — a list of demands that were somewhat reduced when she recently completed her

Fiona McNulty clearly thrives on being “involved”. And she positively embraces the opportunity to participate in a range of activities that both extend beyond and complement her work as a senior associate at Mason Hayes & Curran LLP by Dublin’s Grand Canal Dock. “I enjoy

Not all that’s useful in a legal career is learned at university. In Kevin Winters’ case, his concern about injustice began as a 10-year-old boy working during school holidays on building sites in areas such as Twinbrook in republican west Belfast and Dee Street in loyalist Ballymacarret