Bar Council Chief Irish Senior Council Hugh Mohan
BarCouncilChiefIrishSeniorCouncilHughMohan
Hugh I Mohan SC Member of the Irish Inner Bar
Hugh I Mohan SC
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/bar-council-elects-new-chairman-1.1150149
Bar Council elects new chairman
Mr Hugh Mohan SC has been elected as chairman of the Bar Council
Bullying judges and barristers enjoy ‘culture of impunity’, review finds
Bullying judges and barristers enjoy ‘culture of impunity’, review finds
Mr Hugh Mohan SC has been elected as chairman of the Bar Council
Mr Hugh Mohan SC has been elected as chairman of the Bar Council
Mr Hugh Mohan SC has been elected as chairman of the Bar Council. He replaced Mr Conor Maguire SC who retires from the position at the end of the month, having served two years.
Aged 41, Mr Mohan is a native of Monaghan.
He was educated at CBS and St MacCartan's College in Monaghan, followed by UCD, where he obtained a BCL. He qualified as a barrister in the King's Inns.
He was called to the Bar in 1985, and became a senior counsel in 2000.
His practice consists mainly of defamation, civil and commercial work, and he previously advised the Sunday Tribune on libel.
He was in the O and L case, involving the Irish-born children of foreign parents, and the Beverley Flynn libel trial.
He was chairman of the Advisory Group on defamation which reported earlier this year.
He is married to Sinéad, and they have two daughters. Hugh Mohan's mother is the sister of the mother of Seamus "Banty" McEnaney who is well known in Ireland as the IPAS and Homeless Accommodation King, who has has been reported in the media to be making around 200 million euros per year profit to his McEnaney Group of Companies from extremely lucrative accommodation contracts with the State of Ireland to house asylum seeks and refugeed and the Dublin City Council to house the homeless, the sick and vulnerable in Dublin, which have been publicly described as Golden Hand Shakes with Seamus 'The Banty' McEnaney's well connected powerful connections in the Government of Ireland and the Dublin City Council. Hugh Mohan and his instructing solicitors McKenna McArkle who are based in Dundalk, represents Seamus 'The Banty' McEnaney's and his McEnaney Group of Companis High Court of Ireland
Feargal Deery and INL News Group v "The Banty" Seamus McEnaney
Feargal Deery and INL News Group v "The Banty" Seamus McEnaney
"We paid the referee and...."....... Seamus 'Banty' McEnaney bragged
'
"We paid the referee and...."....... Seamus 'Banty' McEnaney bragged
Member of the Inner Bar
- Junior Counsel: 1985
- Senior Counsel: 2000
- Qualifications: BCL, Accredited Mediator (CEDR), Accredited Mediator (Harvard),
- Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb) Ireland
- Mediator: Accrediting Body: CEDR
- Circuits: Dublin, Eastern, Northern
- Direct Professional Access: Provided
- Areas of Practice:
- Commercial/Chancery
- General Common Law
- General Practice
- Tort & Personal Injury Law
Specialisation:
- Arbitration
- Defamation
- Mediation
-
Contact
- Phone: 01-817 4563
- Mobile: 087-248 5255
- EmailL This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
- Address: Distillery Building 145-151 Church Street Dublin 7
- DX: 816117
Court grants injunction blocking sale of six valuable horses allegedly taken from equestrian centre by director
Orders were made against Rafael Sanctuary (35), a director of River Lodge Eventing Limited, following an application on behalf of the company by its owner, international showjumper Michelle Kenny (33).
https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=hugh+mohan&form=HDRSC3&first=1
Bar Council chief Hugh Mohan in move to lead troops out of 18th century | Irish Independent
INTERVIEW OF THE WEEK
Hugh Mohan,Bar Council chairman
AT 4.30pm last Monday afternoon, Hugh Mohan made his way from the Four Courts across the cobbled Smithfield Market area and into Chief O'Neills hotel.
The barrister, who is now chairman of the Bar Council, was there to outline the details of what has been described as the biggest shake-up the profession has seen since the foundation of the State.
Flanked by fellow senior counsel, Paul Gallagher and Michael Collins, and facing about 80 of his colleagues, Mr Mohan spoke of proposed changes which would make barristers more accountable, foster greater competition, and support new barristers as they attempt to establish themselves.
The Bar Council's proposed reforms are in large part a response to intense criticism from the Competition Authority, which has labelled our legal system one of the most antiquated in the world.
"We are unique in the world in terms of how close our legal system is to that which operated in the 18th century," was how John Fingleton, the former chairman of the Competition Authority, put it earlier this year when he published his highly-critical report on the legal profession.
The response of the two main branches of the legal profession could hardly have been more different.
The Law Society, which regulates solicitors and enjoys a monopoly in training them up, rejected out of hand any of the proposed changes, which it said were "based more on ideology than on evidence".
As well as scoffing at the idea that another body could educate solicitors, the society, which has been beset by allegations that many of its members double-charged sexual abuse victims, also rejected any changes to the current system which allows solicitors to regulate themselves.
'Forty per cent of barristers
leave the bar after year six.
That's an attrition rate you do
not see in other
professions'
The Bar Council, on the other hand, immediately came up with a number of suggested reforms and it was the refined version of these which Mr Mohan, the scion of a modest but successful Monaghan family, put to his colleagues earlier this week.
Mr Mohan said: "We're meeting with all of the interest groups in society to see how we can best adapt to change. I want to interact with everybody in society, and say if you have a problem with us, let's fix it.
"That's why we've been meeting with the Small Firms Association and the Chambers of Commerce of Ireland and NGOs, such as the St Vincent de Paul."
The meeting with the business representative groups has already yielded a result. Last October, to relatively little fanfare, the Council launched a new arbitration scheme for commercial disputes.
Businesses who traditionally would have had to go to the courts to resolve a dispute can now walk into their local Chamber of Commerce, fill out a two-page form in plain English, pay a flat fee of ?750, and have their dispute resolved by a barrister.
"It's a speedy and more cost-effective way of resolving a dispute," said Mr Mohan. "These are claims such as failure to pay for goods or disputes over a property contract which would typically have gone to the Circuit Court. Last year, we trained up over 300 of our members in arbitration and mediation."
Hugh Mohan Law Library In Plain Sight unveiling the legacy of Frances Moran Senior Counsel
Hugh Mohan Senior Irish Counsel
Experience
Contact LinkedIn
Other similar profiles
Bar Council chief in move to lead troops out of 18th century
INTERVIEW OF THE WEEK
Hugh Mohan,Bar Council chairman
AT 4.30pm last Monday afternoon, Hugh Mohan made his way from the Four Courts across the cobbled Smithfield Market area and into Chief O'Neills hotel.
The barrister, who is now chairman of the Bar Council, was there to outline the details of what has been described as the biggest shake-up the profession has seen since the foundation of the State.
Flanked by fellow senior counsel, Paul Gallagher and Michael Collins, and facing about 80 of his colleagues, Mr Mohan spoke of proposed changes which would make barristers more accountable, foster greater competition, and support new barristers as they attempt to establish themselves.
The Bar Council's proposed reforms are in large part a response to intense criticism from the Competition Authority, which has labelled our legal system one of the most antiquated in the world.
"We are unique in the world in terms of how close our legal system is to that which operated in the 18th century," was how John Fingleton, the former chairman of the Competition Authority, put it earlier this year when he published his highly-critical report on the legal profession.
John Temple BL - Law Library
Junior Counsel: 2018
B.L., LL.B (Hons) Dip Legal Studies, Certified Data Practitioner, Dip H.R.M. (CIPD)
John Temple BL Junior Counsel: 2018 Qualifications: B.L., LL.B (Hons) Dip Legal Studies, Certified Data Practitioner, Dip H.R.M. (CIPD) Areas of Practice: Administrative Law Criminal
Contact
- Phone: 01-817 2853
- Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
- Address: Law Library Four Courts Dublin 7 Dublin
- DX: 813224
- Circuits:
- Dublin
Eastern
Midland
South Eastern - Direct Professional Access: Provided
- Areas of Practice: Administrative Law, Criminal Law
-
- General Practice
- Specialisation: Data Protection Law
Called to the Bar
Howlin, associate professor at the Sutherland School of Law, University College Dublin, gives examples of people who became prominent in other fields after being called to the Irish Bar -- like poet, literary critic and biographer Anthony Cronin, poet Máire Mac An tSaoi, who after qualification joined the civil service and was later in the diplomatic service, broadcaster Liam Develly, and journalists Colum Kenny and Vincent Browne. Justice Conor Maguire – judges from the circuit court and upwards were qualified barristers -- even hosted a music program on RTE radio, “In the Mood,” after he retired from the bench.
A barrister is a professional qualified to act for someone in a higher law court and to offer legal advice more generally. Howlin examines “the barristers’ profession from different angles. The everyday experiences of individual barristers [particularly in the chapters entitled ‘Who was at the Bar,’ ‘The working lives of barristers,’ ‘Stresses and supports’ and ‘Making a living at the bar’] are presented alongside the major national and international issues which have impacted upon the profession.”
Added the author, who has provided expert advice to the Irish government in relation to historic murder trials, which has led to the granting of posthumous pardons from President Michael D. Higgins, in two cases: Myles Joyce (hanged in 1882) and John Twiss (hanged in 1895), “This book has considered the highs and lows of practice at the Bar, and has taken a multifaceted and interdisciplinary to constructing a history of the profession.”
Howlin writes, “In chapter one, it was pointed out that the gap between ‘historical research and professional rhetoric’ must be bridged to understand the history of the Bar and its role in society. By exploring first-person narratives of working at the Bar, along with primary source materials for the 20th century, it is hoped that this book has gone some way towards bridging that gap.”
Niamh Howlin
Place of birth: Dublin
Spouse: Robert
Children: two daughters
Residence: Dublin
Published works:
“Juries in Ireland: Laypersons and Law in the Long Nineteenth Century” (Four Courts Press 2017); “Law and Religion in Ireland 1700-1970” (Palgrave Macmillan 2021) and “Law and the Family in Ireland, 1800-1950” (Palgrave Macmillan 2017), both with Kevin Costello. “Barristers in Ireland: An Evolving Profession Since 1921” (Four Courts Press, 2023).
What is your writing routine? Are there ideal conditions?
I like to get up early, make a cup of tea and do some writing while the house is still quiet. My favorite place to write is the National Library of Ireland, on Dublin’s Kildare Street. It is a historic building with a beautiful reading room, right in the city centre. You never know who you will see there – I have spotted many well-known authors, historians and public figures over the years.
What advice do you have for aspiring writers?
It’s important to think about your reader. Whether you are writing a bestselling novel, a television script, a blogpost or a heavy academic book, it’s important to be aware of who you are writing for. This helps to inform how you structure your writing, the language you choose and how much detail or background information is necessary.
Name three books that are memorable in terms of your reading pleasure.
As a child I would read anything I could get my hands on. My favorite book growing up was probably Charlotte Brontës “Jane Eyre.” All that gothic drama!
Ruadhán Mac Cormaic’s “The Supreme Court” is a very engaging and well-researched book about the history of Ireland’s Supreme Court.
Claire Keegan’s “Small Things Like These,” which was nominated for the Booker Prize in 2022, is one of the most compelling novels I have read in recent years. It is a short book, and every word is well-chosen.
What book are you currently reading?
I like to have a few works of fact and fiction on the go.
I am currently in the middle of “A Dublin Magdalene Laundry: Donnybrook and Church-State Power in Ireland,” edited by my friend and colleague Mark Coen, along with Maeve O’Rourke and Katherine O’Donnell. It examines the operation of a Church-run laundry from different perspectives, and sheds light on the experiences of its inmates and the way the laundry was perceived in 20th-century Irish society.
I am also currently immersed in Declan O’Rourke’s “A Whisper From Oblivion,” the second instalment of his Famine trilogy. O’Rourke is a well-known Irish singer-songwriter and an accomplished lyricist, and his novels are beautifully written. I enjoy fiction which combines a compelling storyline with a strong grounding in terms of place and time.
Name a book that you were pleasantly surprised by.
Patrick Redden Keefe’s “Empire of Pain” was not something I would usually have picked up but it was strongly recommended to me and I found it to be meticulously researched, well-balanced and an absolutely gripping read.
If you could meet one author, living or dead, who would it be?
I’d like to meet the 19th-century Irish author Maria Edgeworth.
What is your favorite spot in Ireland?
I grew up in Monaghan and Cavan and I love the landscape in that part of the country. It may not have the drama of the Kerry mountains or the wildness of Connemara, but its glacier-made drumlins mean that the landscape is constantly changing as you move through it. It is said that there are 365 lakes in Cavan – one for every day of the year.
You're Irish if… you cannot count on one hand the number of cups of tea you drink in one day.
Hugh Mohan Law Library In Plain Sight Unveiling The Legacy Of Frances Moran Senior Council
The Middle Temple is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers.
The following notable people were called to the Bar by the Middle Temple.
Living members
- Clive Anderson, television presenter
- David Attard, Malta judge and academics
- Kemal Bokhary, Justice of the Court of Final Appeal, Hong Kong[1]
- Simon Brown, Baron Brown of Eaton-under-Heywood, Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom
- David Cameron, honorary Bencher, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
- Shami Chakrabarti, Director of Liberty
- Anthony Clarke, Baron Clarke of Stone-cum-Ebony, Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom
- Paul Cohen, barrister and arbitration expert
- William Critchley, author
- Sir Donnell Deeny, Chancery Judge in the High Court of Northern Ireland
- Sir Peter Estlin, former Lord Mayor of London, honorary bencher
- Mónica Feria Tinta, international lawyer, obtained the first international human rights court decision ordering the prosecution of a former Head of State for crimes under international law; co-recipient of the Gruber Justice Prize 2007
- Dr. Darius Furmonavicius, author
- Hon. Mr. Justice André A. Mon Désir (Ret.) Supreme Court of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
- Alan Ganoo, Speaker of the National Assembly of Mauritius
- Christopher Geidt, Baron Geidt, honorary Bencher, Chairman of King's College London
- Andrew Gordon-Saker, Senior Costs Judge
- Stephen Hough, pianist and composer
- Geoffrey Howe, senior member of the British Cabinet 1979–1990
- Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, called as an Honorary Bencher on 3 November 2011
- Sir Edwin Jowitt, former High Court judge
- Igor Judge, Baron Judge, Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales
- Anna Lawson, legal scholar, honorary bencher
- Andrew Li, first Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal, Hong Kong[1]
- Professor Carl Lygo, Vice-Chancellor, BPP University
- Professor Michael Mainelli, 695th Lord Mayor of the City of London, called as an Honorary Bencher on 2 February 2023
- Sir John Major, honorary Bencher, Prime Minister 1990–1997
- Jonathan Mance, Baron Mance, Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom
- Donald James Nicholls, Baron Nicholls of Birkenhead, retired Lord of Appeal in Ordinary.
- Nicholas Phillips, Baron Phillips of Worth Matravers, President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom
- Anand Ramlogan, SC, human rights attorney, Attorney General of Trinidad and Tobago
- Geoffrey Robertson, Queen's Counsel (QC), constitutional, criminal and media attorney
- Sir Christopher Rose, former judge on the Court of Appeal of England and Wales and a member of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom.
- John Rutter, musician, made an honorary Bencher in 2008
- Mark Rylance, honorary Bencher, awarded in acknowledgement of his 400th anniversary production of Twelfth Night mounted in Hall on 2 February 2002.[2]
- Mark Saville, Baron Saville of Newdigate, British judge and former Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom.
- George L. Savvides, Attorney-General of the Republic of Cyprus
- Patricia Scotland, Attorney General for England and Wales (until 2010)
- Keir Starmer, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (since 2024)[3]
- Sir David Steel former Second Sea Lord
- Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, called to the Bar and made an honorary Bencher in 2009
- Sarah Worthington, Downing Professor of the Laws of England at the University of Cambridge
- Wong Yan Lung, SC, former Hong Kong Secretary for Justice[1]
- Dora Zatte, Ombudsman of the Seychelles
Deceased members
- Charles Abbot, 1st Baron Colchester (1757-1829), British barrister, statesman, Speaker of the House of Commons (1802-1817).
- Peter Ala Adjetey, Speaker of the Parliament of Ghana (2001–2005).
- Alfred Augustus Akainyah (1907-1988), Justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana (1964-1966)
- Edward Akufo-Addo, Chief Justice of Ghana (1966–1970) and President of Ghana (1970–1972)
- Walter Hubert Annenberg (1908-2002), American businessman, investor, philanthropist, diplomat and Honorary Bencher.
- Michael Ashikodi Agbamuche Attorney General & Minister for Justice Nigeria (Sept 1994–1997).
- Fred Kwasi Apaloo (1921-2000), Chief Justice of Ghana (1977 -1986) and later Kenya (1993–1995).
- Robert Ashley (1565-1641), English barrister, politician and translator.
- Sir Anthony Babington, Attorney General for Northern Ireland (1925-1937) and Lord Justice of Appeal (1937-1949)
- Sir Sidney Barton, Consul-General in Shanghai (1922-1929) and Minister to Ethiopia (1929-1936)
- Jyoti Basu (1914-2010), Chief Minister of West Bengal 1977–2000.
- William Draper Best, 1st Baron Wynford (1767-1845), British politician, judge, Chief Justice of the Common Pleas (1824-1829).
- Richard Bethell, 1st Baron Westbury (1800-1873), British barrister, judge and Liberal politician.
- John Bigham, 1st Viscount Mersey (1840-1929), British jurist and politician.
- Sir William Blackstone (1723-1780), jurist and author of Commentaries on the Laws of England
- Womesh Chunder Bonnerjee, First President of Indian National Congress and an barrister of Calcutta High Court
- Birendranath Sasmal, nationalist politician from Midnapore, Secretary of Swaraj Party and eminent barrister, regarded as Deshapran
- Chittaranjan Das, Founder of Swaraj Party and famed lawyer who won many cases against the British Raj, regarded as Deshbandhu
- Sir John Bramston the Elder (1577-1654), English judge, Chief Justice of the King's Bench
- William Thomas Bridges (1821–1894), barrister and public servant in Hong Kong
- Sir Gainsford Bruce (1834-1912), British judge and Conservative politician.
- William Ward Burrows I (1758-1805), Second Commandant of the United States Marine Corps.
- Barbara Calvert (1926-2015), first woman to head a chambers
- Edward Henry Carson, Baron Carson (1854-1935), Irish Unionist politician, barrister and judge.
- Sir Elias Wynne Cemlyn-Jones (1888-1966) Welsh Liberal Party politician.
- John Duke Coleridge, 1st Baron Coleridge (1820-1894), English barrister, judge and Liberal politician.
- William Cowper, 1st Earl Cowper (c.1665-1723), English Whig politician, first Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain (1707-1708, 1714–1718).
- Arthur Geoffrey Neale Cross, Baron Cross of Chelsea (1904-1989), British judge, Lord Appeal in Ordinary.
- Major (Honorary) Basanta Kumar De, Commercial Traffic Manager (Chief of Traffic), Bengal Nagpur Railway
- Brajendranath De, esq., ICS, Magistrate and Collector, Hooghly and Commissioner (Acting), Burdwan, Bengal[4]
- Sanya Dharmasakti, Prime Minister of Thailand (1973–75), President of the Privy Council of Thailand (1975–98)[5]
- Alecos Markides (1943–2020) Attorney General of Cyprus from 1995 to 2003
- Diana, Princess of Wales (1961-1997), Royal Bencher (1988).
- John Dickinson (delegate) (1732-1808), one of the Founding Fathers of the United States.
- William John Kenneth Diplock, Baron Diplock (1907-1985), British judge, Law Lord.
- Theophilus Adebayo Doherty (1895-1974), Nigerian businessman and politician.
- Terence Norbert Donovan, Baron Donovan (1898-1971), British Labour Party politician, Lord of Appeal in Ordinary.
- John Dunning, 1st Baron Ashburton (1731-1783), English barrister and politician.
- Romesh Dutt, ICS, Dewan of Baroda and Commissioner (Acting) of Orissa
- John Edge, Chief Justice in the Allahabad High Court, member of the Council of India and Privy Council
- King Edward VII (1841-1910), Royal Bencher (1861)
- Edward, Duke of Windsor (1894-1972), formerly King Edward VIII, Royal Bencher (1919).
- Sir Walter Egerton KCMG (1858-1947), Governor of Lagos Colony (1904-1906), Southern Nigeria (1906-1912) and British Guiana (1912-1917).
- Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother (1900-2002), consort of King George VI, Royal Bencher (1944).
- Sir Samuel Thomas Evans (1859-1918), Welsh barrister, judge and Liberal politician.
- Chief Remi Fani-Kayode, the Deputy Premier of Nigeria's Western Region (1963–1966) and the Minister of Chieftaincy and Local Government Affairs for the Western Region (1963–1966).
- Robert Bannatyne Finlay, 1st Viscount Finlay (1842-1929), barrister, doctor and Liberal politician.
- William Finlay, 2nd Viscount Finlay (1875-1945), British judge and peer.
- Sir Andrew Fraser, Lieutenant Governor of Bengal
- Lalmohan Ghosh (1849-1909) Co-founder of Indian National Congress and 1st Indian to stand for election in British Parliament.
- Colin Macdonald Gilray OBE MCE (1885-1974), rugby union player, soldier and educationalist.
- Sir Hildreth Glyn-Jones (1895-1980), barrister and High Court Judge (1953-1968).
- Mervyn Griffith-Jones (1909-1979), British judge.
- Behari Lal Gupta, esq., ICS, Dewan of Baroda and first Indian Chief Presidency Magistrate of Calcutta
- Sir Krishna Govinda Gupta, ICS, Member of the Secretary of State's (for India) Council and Commissioner of Burdwan in Bengal.
- James Hannen, Baron Hannen (1821-1894), English judge.
- Alfred Harmsworth (1837-1889), British barrister.
- Sir Anthony Hart (c.1754-1831), British barrister, Lord Chancellor of Ireland (1827-1830).
- Sir John Anthony Hawke (1869-1941), English judge, Unionist politician.
- Charles Henry Hopwood (1829-1904), British politician and judge.
- John Turner Hopwood (1829-1900), Liberal Party MP and barrister.
- Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon (1609-1674), English statesman, Lord Chancellor to King Charles II (1658-1667), royalist and historian.
- Sir Nicholas Hyde (1572-1631), English judge, Lord Chief Justice of England.
- Rufus Daniel Isaacs, 1st Marquess of Reading (1860-1935), British Liberal politician, judge, Lord Chief Justice of England, Viceroy of India and Foreign Secretary.
- Henry James, 1st Baron James of Hereford (1828-1911), Anglo-Welsh barrister and statesman.
- Sir Joseph Jekyll (1663-1738), British barrister, Whig politician and judge.
- Sir Paul Jenkins (lawyer) KCB (1954-2018), Treasury Solicitor.
- William Allen Jowitt, 1st Earl Jowitt (1885-1957), British Labour politician, barrister and Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain (1945-1951).
- Lloyd Kenyon, 1st Baron Kenyon (1732-1802), British politician and barrister.
- Myer Alan Barry King-Hamilton (1904-2010), British barrister and judge.
- Kwa Geok Choo (1920–2010), wife to Singapore Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew
- Alfred Tristram Lawrence, 1st Baron Trevethin (1843-1936), British barrister, judge and Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales (1921-1922).
- Sir John Leach (1760-1834), English judge and Master of the Rolls.
- Lee Kuan Yew (1923-2015), first Prime Minister and Minister Mentor of Singapore
- Nathaniel Lindley, Baron Lindley (1828-1921), English judge, Lord of Appeal in Ordinary.
- Colonel Sir Henry Davies Foster Macgeagh (1883-1962), British Judge.
- Sir Charles Mallet (1862-1947), British historian and Liberal politician.
- Phraya Manopakorn Nititada (1884–1948), first prime minister of Thailand (then Siam)
- John Marston (1576–1634), playwright, poet, and satirist
- Rokuichiro Masujima (1857-1948), Japanese lawyer, legal advisor to the Japanese Ambassador in London and founder of Chuo University.
- Sir John Maynard (1602-1690), English barrister and politician.
- V.K. Krishna Menon (1896-1974), Indian nationalist, diplomat, and Defence Minister; cofounder of Penguin and Pelican Books.
- Sir Edward Montagu (c.1485-1557), English barrister and judge.
- Edward Montagu, 1st Earl of Sandwich (1625-1672), English military officer, politician and diplomat.
- Ewen Montague (1901-1985), English judge, Naval intelligence officer and author.
- Henry Montagu, 1st Earl of Manchester (c.1563-1642), English judge, politician and peer.
- Sir Rhys Hopkin Morris (1888-1956), Welsh Liberal politician.
- Michael Nolan, Baron Nolan (1927–2007), jurist and former Lord Justice of Appeal.
- Francis North, 1st Baron Guilford (1637-1685), English judge and Lord Keeper of the Great Seal (1682-1685).
- Roger North (1651–1734), English barrister, biographer and amateur musician.
- Fletcher Norton, 1st Baron Grantley (1716-1789), Solicitor General for England and Wales (1762-1763), Speaker of the House of Commons (1770-1780).
- Fletcher Norton (1744-1820), Scottish barrister, politician, and joint Founder of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (1783).
- Sir James O'Connor (1872-1931), Irish barrister, judge, Solicitor General for Ireland (1914) and Attorney General for Ireland (1917).
- Nii Amaa Ollennu (1906 – 1986), Ghanaian jurist and judge, Justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana, the acting President of Ghana during the Second Republic from 7 August 1970 to 31 August 1970 and the Speaker of the Parliament of Ghana from 1969 to 1972[6]
- Arthur Onslow (1691-1768), English politician, Speaker of the House of Commons (1728-1761).
- K. M. Panikkar, Indian Ambassador to China
- Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel First Home Minister and Deputy Prime Minister of India.
- C. R. Pattabhiraman (1906–2001), Indian lawyer, politician and Union Minister. Eldest son of Sir C. P. Ramaswami Iyer.
- Sir William Peryam (1534-1604), English judge, Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer.
- Walter Phillimore, 1st Baron Phillimore (1845-1929) British barrister, High Court Judge and Lord Justice of Appeal.
- G.P. Pillai, one of the earliest practising advocates of the High Court of Madras
- Sir Lynden Pindling (1930–2000), First black premier of the Colony of the Bahama Islands from 1967 to 1969 and then first Prime Minister of The Commonwealth of The Bahamas from 1969 to 1992.
- Oswald Pirow (1890-1959), South African lawyer and far right politician.
- Sir Edmund Plowden, (1518–1585), distinguished English lawyer, legal scholar and theorist during the late Tudor period.
- Sir Charles Porter (1631-1696), English-born politician and judge, Lord Chancellor of Ireland.
- Denis Nowell Pritt (1887-1972), British barrister and Labour politician.
- Emmanuel Charles Quist, OBE (1880 – 1959), barrister, educator and judge, first African President of the Legislative Council, the first Speaker of the Gold Coast Legislative Assembly and the first Speaker of the Parliament of Ghana
- Sir Walter Raleigh (c.1554-1618), landed gentleman, writer, poet, soldier, politician, courtier, spy and explorer.
- John Rutledge, Chief Justice of the United States in 1795.
- Sir Eric Sachs (1898-1979), British barrister, High Court Judge and a Lord Justice of Appeal.
- Cyril Barnet Salmon, Baron Salmon (1903-1991), British judge.
- John Sankey, 1st Viscount Sankey (1866-1948), British barrister, judge, Labour politician and Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain.
- Pote Sarasin, Prime Minister of Thailand (1957) secretary-general of SEATO (1958–1964)
- Sir Charles Scarborough (1615-1694), physician to King Charles II and later King James II; King William III and Queen Mary II; and Prince George of Denmark.
- John Scott, 1st Earl of Eldon (1751-1838), British barrister and Tory politician.
- William Scott, 1st Baron Stowell (1745-1836), English judge and jurist.
- Dudley Senanayake (1911–1973), second Prime Minister of Ceylon
- Pixley ka Isaka Seme (c.1881-1951), President of the African National Congress, 1930–1936.
- Sir Barry Shaw, first Director of Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland
- Jocelyn Edward Salis Simon, Baron Simon of Glaisdale (1911-2006), British judge, Law Lord.
- Sir John Simon (1818-1897), British Jew Serjeant-at-Law and Liberal MP for Dewsbury.
- Raja Sir Maharaj Singh, First Indian Governor of Bombay
- John Somers, 1st Baron Somers (1651-1716), Whig jurist and statesman.
- Sir Wintringham Stable (1888-1977), English barrister and High Court Judge.
- Alexander Martin Sullivan (1871-1959), Irish barrister and the last Serjeant-at-Law.
- Sir Thomas Noon Talfourd (1795-1854), English judge, politician and author.
- Sir Alfred Tobin (1855-1939), British barrister and judge, Conservative MP for Preston (1910-1915).
- Sir Christopher Turnor (1607-1675), English judge, knight and royalist.
- Christopher Machingura Ushewokunze, Minister of Industry and Commerce, Zimbabwe (1992-1994).
- Sir Peyton Ventris (1645-1691), English judge and politician.
- Sir John Verney (1699-1741), British barrister, judge and Tory politician.
- Sir Robert Wallace (1850-1939), Irish-born barrister and Liberal Party politician.
- John Webster (c.1580-c.1634), playwright
- Richard Orme Wilberforce, Baron Wilberforce (1907-2003), British judge.
- Philip Yorke, 1st Earl of Hardwicke (1690-1764), English barrister and politician, Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain (1737-1756).
- Tan Sri Haji Dato' Dr. Abdul Aziz bin Mohd. Zain (1922–2012), former Attorney-General of Brunei (1961-1962), Attorney-General of Malaysia (1963), Federal Court Judge of Malaysia (1964-1970), OIC Secretary-General (1973).
- Somnath Chatterjee, former Speaker of the Lok Sabha of India
See also
References
- Friedman, Katherine (4 October 2007), "Top London law honor for justice chief", The Standard, archived from the original on 4 June 2011, retrieved 30 January 2010
- Taylor, Paul (2 February 2002). "Mark Rylance: A Twelfth Night to remember". The Independent. Archived from the original on 23 July 2009. Retrieved 28 November 2008.
- Staff (2008). "Keir Starmer QC to be the new DPP". The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple. Archived from the original on 3 January 2009. Retrieved 10 January 2009.
- Indiansaga Who's Who: Famous Personalities
- MR. SANYA DHARMASAKTI[permanent dead link], Thai Government. Retrieved on 21 March 2012.
- "Rulers - Ghana". List of heads of state and heads of Government. Rulers.org. Archived from the original on 3 April 2007. Retrieved 24 March 2007.
Law Library | Council & Committees
https://www.lawlibrary.ie/
- Home
- Governance
- Council & Committees
Council & Committees
The members of the Bar
Council are elected annually by the members of the Law Library. The Council consists of 10 practitioners from the Inner Bar, 10 practitioners from the Outer Bar and four co-optees. The Council is chaired by a Chairperson elected by members of The Council
The General Council of The Bar of Ireland 2025 – 2026
Chair of The Council of the Bar of Ireland
Seán Guerin SC, Member of the Inner Bar.
Seán Guerin SC is a native of Wexford town with a strong family connection to County Clare. Educated at St. Peter’s College Wexford and St. Andrew’s College, Dublin, he studied law at University College Dublin and Université de Nancy II (France) and qualified as a barrister at the Honourable Society of King’s Inns Dublin and was called to the Bar in 1997. He has postgraduate qualifications in law from UCD (commercial law) and King’s College London (European law). He has been in practice at the Bar of Ireland since 1998 and was called to the Inner Bar and appointed Senior Counsel in 2013.
Seán is based at the Law Library in Dublin, and practices mainly in public law, including criminal, regulatory and administrative law
Inner Bar Panel
Chair: Seán Guerin SC
- Bairbre O’Neill SC
- Derek Sheahan SC
- Michael C O’Connor SC
- Michael D Hourigan SC
- Rossa Fanning SC – Attorney General
Outer Bar Panel
- Denise Waldron BL
- Aoife O’Leary BL
- Tim O’ Connor BL
- Tanya Smith BL
- James Cross BL
- Femi Daniyan BL
- Tabitha Wood SC
- Cliona Cleary BL
- Fiachra Breathnach BL
- Simon Donagh BL
Co-optees:
Permanent Committees of the Council of The Bar of Ireland
The following Permanent Committees are provided for under the Constitution of the Council of the Bar of Ireland, and reflect central priorities and activities of the Law Library, and the delivery of services to our members.
Standing Committee
This committee comprises of the chairs of the permanent committees, Chairman and Vice-chair, and Treasurer. The business of the Standing Committee shall be to consider, and if necessary determine, all such matters within the competence of the Council as may be of an extremely urgent nature and require such determination between meetings of the Council.
Ciara Murphy is Secretary.
Chair: Seán Guerin SC
- Darren Lehane SC
- Colm O’Dwyer SC
- Tim O’Connor BL
- Seamus Clarke SC
- Michael D Hourigan SC
- Tabitha Wood SC
- Tanya Smith BL
- Bairbre O’Neill SC
Co-optees:
Library Committee
The Library Committee deals with all matters relating to admission to the Law Library, and membership
thereof, including matters relating to the acquisition and maintenance of the materials, whether in book or electronic form, necessary within the Library for the profession.
Samantha de Paor is Secretary.
Chair: Colm O’Dwyer SC
- Darren Lehane SC
- Tim O’Connor BL
- Tabitha Wood SC
- James Cross BL
- Simon Donagh BL
- Denise Waldron BL
- Femi Daniyan BL
- Elizabeth Gormley BL
Co-optees
- to be confirmed
Professional Practices Committee
This Committee monitors all matters concerning the proper professional practice of members of the Law Library and may investigate and, if thought fit, prefer and present a complaint against any member without the necessity of having the matter referred to it by any third party.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. is Secretary to this Committee.
Chair: Michael D Hourigan SC
- Darren Lehane SC
- Tim O’Connor BL
- Cliona Cleary BL
- James Cross BL
- Aoife O’Leary BL
- Elizabeth Gormley BL
Co-optees
- to be confirmed
Finance Committee
This Committee deals with all matters relating to the finances of the Council and its associate companies for the maintenance and development of the Law Library, Council properties, and IT infrastructure.
Colin Potts is Secretary to this Committee.
Chair: Darren Lehane SC
- Bairbre O’Neill SC
- Tim O’Connor BL
- Fiachra Breathnach BL
- Michael C O’Connor SC
- Susan Ahern SC
- Sara Antoniotti SC
- Colm O’Dwyer SC
Co-optees
- to be confirmed
Education & Training Committee
The Education & Training Committee oversees training for new entrants (including master/devil relationships) and CPD for the membership at large, including ensuring that the profession’s CPD requirements are met, and supports to barristers in practice are in place in light of the longer-term implications of regulation under the LSRA.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. is Secretary to this Committee.
Chair: Derek Sheahan SC
Co-optees
- to be confirmed
Public Affairs Committee
The Public Affairs Committee assists in the promotion of members establishes and maintains appropriate links with all regional and Specialist Bar Associations, the Voluntary Assistance Scheme (VAS), and Irish Rule of Law International (IRLI), and fosters relations and communications between the Council and outside bodies.
The Secretary to this Committee will be the Director of Communications & Policy
Chair: Bairbre O’Neill SC
- Darren Lehane SC
- Michael C O’Connor SC
- Cliona Cleary BL
- Aoife O’Leary BL
- Tabitha Wood SC
- Elizabeth Gormley BL
Co-optees
- to be confirmed
Young Bar Committee
The Young Bar Committee provides a forum for Young Bar members, and co-ordinates initiatives directed at the needs of practitioners who practise in Years 1-7, as well as contributing to wider Bar priorities.
Stephen Swanton is Secretary to this Committee
Chair: Tanya Smith BL
Council Co-optees
- to be confirmed
Circuit Liaison Committee
The Circuit Liaison Committee provides a forum for practitioners to address matters that arise for members practising on Circuit, as well as maintaining close library and professional development connections.
Lindsay Bond is Secretary to this committee.
Chair: Tim O’Connor BL
- James Cross BL
- Simon Donagh BL
- Fiachra Breathnach BL
- Cliona Cleary BL
- Denise Waldron BL
- Aislinn Finnegan BL
Co-optees
- to be confirmed
Non-Permanent Committees of the Council of The Bar of Ireland
The following Non-Permanent Committees reflect the continuing priorities and activities of the Law Library and the delivery of services to our members
ADR & Arbitration
Committee
This Committee raises awareness of ADR practices among practitioners and the wider public through
partnerships with relevant stakeholders, a programme of education, and its inclusion in wider Bar debates.
Secretary: Rose Fisher
Chair: Michael C O’Connor SC
Co-optees
- to be confirmed
Criminal State Bar Committee
This Committee monitors trends and developments within the criminal Bar, liaising with key justice stakeholders on issues of concern, including the Department of Justice and Equality, the Office of the DPP, and others.
Secretary: Ciara Murphy
Chair: Aoife O’Leary BL
Co-optees
To Be Confirmed
Civil State Bar Committee
This Committee engages with State agencies on whose behalf members are routinely briefed including the Attorney General, Chief State Solicitor’s Office, the Legal Aid Board, and the State Claims Agency.
Secretary: TBC
Chair: Cliona Cleary BL
Co-optees
- Niall Quinn BL
- Aisling Mulligan BL
- Declan Harmon BL
- David Conlan Smyth SC
- Siobhan Clabby BL
- Grainne Lee BL
Equality & Resilience Committee
This Committee oversees the development and implementation of initiatives that promote equality and diversity at the Bar, ensuring where possible that a member’s ability to achieve their potential is not limited by prejudice or discrimination.
Secretary: Stephen Swanton
Chair: Femi Daniyan BL
Co-optees
- to be confirmed
Human Rights Committee
This Committee works to promote justice and respect for human rights through the rule of law. It monitors human rights issues, in particular those involving lawyers who are endangered, and engages with various human rights groups.
Secretary: Molly Eastman McCarthy
Chair: Simon Donagh BL
Co-optees
- James O’Reilly SC
- Nuala Egan SC
- Colin Smith SC
- Seán Beatty BL
- Emma Slattery BL
- Gemma McLoughlin-Burke BL
- Niamh Harnett BL
- David Perry BL
Property Development
Committee
This Committee is responsible for the strategic planning of the Bar’s property concerns, and how it delivers for the membership and it’s future needs.
Secretary: Colin Potts
Chair: Sara Antoniotti SC