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University of Galway School of Law is proud to announce its outstanding representation as a finalist in several prestigious categories at the Leap Irish Law Awards 2025. The School has been shortlisted for the coveted 'Law School of the Year' category, a testament to the collective efforts and achievements of staff and students over the past year. In addition to the school-wide nomination, University of Galway School of Law has also seen a remarkable number of its students nominated for individual awards. Three students—Anne White O'Brien, Annie Forde, and Colman Monaghan—have been nominated for the 'Law Student of the Year' award. Two esteemed members of our academic staff—Dr Brian Tobin and Dr Rory Kelly—have been selected as finalists for 'Legal Educator of the Year.' Dr Maeve O'Rourke has also been nominated for 'Law Book of the Year' for her book 'Human Rights and the Care of Older People'. University of Galway School of Law extends its congratulations to all its nominees. We now look forward to the awards ceremony, scheduled to take place in Dublin on Friday, 6th June, 2025. More information: https://irishlawawards.ie/2025/05/2025-finalists-announced/ 

On Friday, the 4th of April, students on the LLM in Criminology, Criminal Justice and Human Rights visited the Supreme Court. Mr Justice Charleton, an adjunct Professor at University of Galway, delivered an invigorating seminar on recent judgments of the Court and the process of judgment writing. The students were also given a tour of the Four Courts. The visit to the Supreme Court formed part of a wider programme of events aimed at engaging with legal and criminal justice professionals on the LLM. A later blog post will discuss the cohort’s visit to Cloverhill Prison. More information on the LLM in Criminology, Criminal Justice and Human Rights can be found on University of Galway School of Law's website: https://www.universityofgalway.ie/courses/taught-postgraduate-courses/criminology-criminal-justice-human-rights.html A picture of Mr Justice Charleton with Dr Róisín Mulgrew, Dr Charles O'Mahony, Dr Rory Kelly and students from the LLM in Criminology, Criminal Justice and Human Rights.

The School of Law, University of Galway invites you to the launch of the Centre for Law, Religion and Society: Professor Roja Fazaeli in conversation with Professor Mary McAleese (President of Ireland 1997-2011, Professor of Children, Law & Religion at University of Glasgow and Chancellor of Trinity College Dublin) Date: 10 April 2025Time: 4.30 pm – 5.30 pm Reception to follow Venue: Aula Maxima, University of Galway Register now: https://forms.office.com/e/76EMf70JSq The Centre for Law, Religion and Society was established in 2024 by Professor Roja Fazaeli at the School of Law, University of Galway.   The Centre is a multi-disciplinary university hub of excellence that develops ideas and projects at the intersections of law, religion, and society, both nationally and internationally.  The Centre creates spaces for collaboration and innovation, bringing together researchers, policymakers, NGOs, and the wider community, through seminars, workshops, and public forums. The Centre promotes research on law and policy in relation to moral frameworks and applied ethics, including religion, with a particular emphasis on advancing social and gender justice.

A Joint University of Galway - TUS Athlone Event Update: Please note that the deadline for paper submissions has been extended to 18 March 2025. University of Galway School of Law is set to host the Legal Tech Ireland: Impacts, Policies, and Pathways conference, a landmark event bringing together legal experts, policymakers, and industry leaders to examine the transformative role of technology in the legal sector. The conference will take place on Monday, 7 April 2025, 10am – 5pm at the Deloitte BizHub, Cairnes Building, University of Galway. The event will also be available online to those who Building on the success of last year’s event hosted by the Technological University of the Shannon Athlone, Legal Technology & the Rule of Law 2024 (the third annual Legal Tech Conference event), the organisers have expanded the event to one co-organised by TUS Athlone Faculty of Business & Hospitality and the School of Law at University of Galway. This year, the focus will be on the all-island lawtech sector, enabling and limiting policy and regulatory factors, and the influence of post-pandemic shifts. This unique space brings together legal academics, practitioners, students and the public for creative exchange and dialogue on the legal, regulatory and ethical challenges posed. Hear expert speakers from industry, the judiciary and academia propose solutions to these challenges. In particular dialogue on the different trajectories of legal technology adoption in Ireland and Northern Ireland in a post-Brexit/COVID 19 shared island.   The conference will also feature a hackathon during which student teams will be asked to problem-solve legal tech challenges by applying creative and technical know-how under time constraints . Email ronan.m.kennedy@universityofgalway.ie for information on how to participate. University of Galway has issued a Call for Papers for legal professionals, academics, and researchers interested in contributing to the conference. Submissions are encouraged on topics including, but not limited to: Developments in Legal Practice Technology and Justice Regulation through Technology Missed connections Lawtech in Ireland/Northern Ireland Enabling and restricting conditions in the Irish/NI lawtech landscape for innovation and early adoption: Regulatory Intersections & AI for Law Other aspects of legal technology in practice and in the courts Dr. Rónán Kennedy, Senior Lecturer at University of Galway School of Law and one of the event organisers, highlighted the significance of this conference in shaping the future of legal technology in Ireland: “Technology is reshaping how legal services are delivered, creating new opportunities but also presenting significant challenges. This conference will bring together key stakeholders to discuss how Ireland can best navigate the evolving landscape of legal tech.” Alison Hough BL, Senior Lecturer at TUS Athlone and co-organiser stated: "This event happens at a crucial juncture for the legal profession, legal entrepreneurs and the academy. It has never been more important that legal practice adoption of emerging technologies is informed by ethical, regulatory and moral considerations which emerge from the academy, and that the work of academics reflects the concerns arising on the ground in legal practice and legal entrepreneurship. This conference creates a unique and timely public forum for creative exchange.” The event is expected to attract a wide range of participants, including lawyers, policymakers, academics, and technology experts, offering valuable insights into the integration of legal technology in practice and policy. Paper and panel proposals can be emailed to ronan.m.kennedy@universityofgalway.ie The deadline for paper submissions has been extended to 18 March 2025, with successful applicants invited to present their research at the conference. For more information email ronan.m.kennedy@universityofgalway.ie and visit University of Galway School of Law’s website. ENDS

Dr. Charles O’Mahony, School of Law, University of Galway, has co-authored a significant new report for the Disability Federation of Ireland (DFI), highlighting the persistent gaps in disability inclusion at the local government level in Ireland.  The report, Bridging the Gap Between National Policy and Local Action for Disability Inclusion, was co-authored with Dr. Mary Keogh and launched last month at the offices of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission in Dublin. The research examines the disconnect between Ireland’s national commitments under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) and the reality faced by disabled people at the local level.  It finds that despite policy advancements, including the recent ratification of the UNCRPD and its Optional Protocol, local authorities remain under-resourced and inconsistently equipped to implement disability-inclusive policies. “Ireland is one of the most centralised countries in Europe, and local authorities here are among the lowest-funded in the OECD,” said Dr. O’Mahony. “This centralisation often sidelines disability rights at the local level, meaning that despite legal obligations, many disabled people continue to face barriers in housing, transport, public spaces, and community services.” The report underscores the crucial role of local authorities in fulfilling disability rights obligations, yet it identifies a lack of structured coordination and funding to support meaningful implementation.  While some local authorities have made progress, there is inconsistent progress across the 31 local authorities. One key finding is the need for properly resourced and full-time Access Officers in every local authority.  Currently, many Access Officers work part-time and lack clear job descriptions, dedicated budgets, and training, limiting their ability to effect real change.  The report calls for expanding and formalising the role of Access Officers, ensuring they have the authority and resources to integrate disability inclusion across all local government policies. The research also highlights successful models, such as the Disability and Inclusion Steering Committee (DISC) in Wicklow County Council, which has a strategic role in advising on disability policy.  The report recommends replicating such initiatives nationwide to embed disability inclusion as a core function of local government. The launch event on the 28th. Of January in Dublin brought together local government officials, policymakers, researchers, and disability advocates to discuss the findings and chart a path forward for implementing the UNCRPD at a local level. The report concludes that national implementation of the UN CRPD must be matched with tangible action at the local level.  It calls for increased government funding for local authorities, linked to clear disability inclusion targets, and mandatory training to ensure obligations under the UNCRPD translate into real-world improvements for disabled people. Dr. O’Mahony emphasised the importance of taking a whole-of-government approach: “Disability inclusion should not be seen as an add-on but as an integral part of how local authorities operate.  Without dedicated resources and accountability measures, the commitments made at the national level will continue to fall short on the ground.” For more information, the summary report and full report are available online – https://www.disability-federation.ie/news/latest/2025/02/04/bridging-the-gap-between-national-policy-and-local/  

Join us for a joint Commercial Law talk, 'Ireland's Commercial Court – The Case for U.S./Ireland Cooperation' with: The Hon. Mr Justice David Barniville, The Hon. Judge Frank Bailey (Ret.) and the Attorney General of Ireland, Mr Rossa Fanning. Open to the public. Registration is now open!  Talk Description: “The U.S. is now Ireland’s largest trading partner, finally replacing the U.K. after many generations.  The volume of commercial disputes inevitably increases along with trading activity. On February 13, 2025, the President of the High Court, Hon. Mr. Justice David Barniville, Attorney General Rossa Fanning, and U.S. Federal Judge Frank J. Bailey (ret.) will discuss dispute resolution processes in the Irish and U.S. legal systems.  They are expected to touch on opportunities for collaboration between courts, alternative dispute resolution methods such as international mediation/arbitration, insolvency proceedings across borders, opportunities to practice law in both systems, and how students can prepare for work across national lines.” An tArd-Aighne When: Thursday 13th February 2025, 5pm Where: Aula Maxima, University of Galway Register Now! Bios: The Hon. Mr Justice David Barniville: Mr. Justice David Barniville is the President of the High Court of Ireland. He was appointed a judge of the High Court in December 2017 after almost 27 years in practice as a barrister and Senior Counsel in the Courts of Ireland and in the European Courts. He was the judge in charge of the Commercial Division of the High Court (2019-2021). He was, and is again, also designated as the Arbitration Judge to hear all arbitration related matters in the High Court. He was previously the judge in charge of the Strategic Infrastructure List in the High Court (2018-2019). David was appointed to the Court of Appeal in August 2021. He was appointed President of the High Court in July 2022. In that role he is ex officio a member of the Court of Appeal, the Supreme Court and the Council of State. In July 2018, David was appointed as a member of Ireland’s National Group on the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague and continues to hold that position. He was recently (October 2024) appointed to the ICC’s Governing Body for Dispute Resolution. David is a member of the Board of the Courts Service and of the Judicial Council and is Chair of the Finance Committee of the Courts Service and of its Investment Committee. He is also a member of the Judicial Appointments Advisory Board and of the (recently established) Judicial Appointments Commission. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of BAILII (the British and Irish Legal Information Institute) and was a member of the Board of Trustees of the Academy of European Law (ERA) (2020-2023). David was the President of the Association of Judges of Ireland (2019-2021) and is the current Chair of the Judges Forum of the International Bar Association (IBA). He is a judicial fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers and the International Society of Barristers, two leading US trial lawyer associations. Prior to his appointment to the High Court in 2017, David was Chair of the Council of the Bar of Ireland (2014-2016) and Chair of Irish Rule of Law International (IRLI) (2015-2019). He was a member of the Bars of Ireland and of England and Wales (Middle Temple) (and 20 Essex Chambers in London). He is a Bencher of the King’s Inns in Dublin and of Middle Temple in London. David is also an adjunct professor of law in University of Limerick and University of Galway. The Hon. Judge Frank Bailey (Ret.): Frank J. Bailey was appointed as a U.S. bankruptcy judge for the District of Massachusetts on January 30, 2009, and he served as Chief Judge from December 2010 until December 2014. He was born in Kingston, New York, received his undergraduate degree from Georgetown University, School of Foreign Service (BSFS), and his law degree from Suffolk University School of Law (Boston). He also served on the First Circuit Bankruptcy Appellate Panel. Judge Bailey has taught various law courses at Boston University School of Law, Suffolk University School of Law, and New England Law School. Judge Bailey has also taught classes for judges, lawyers, and law students in Bulgaria, Uzbekistan, Russia, and Argentina and has hosted judicial delegations from Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Japan, and elsewhere. Judge Bailey was the president of the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges, a voluntary association of bankruptcy judges that has existed for over 100 years. He served as the Judicial Member at Large on the Board of Governors of the American Bar Association and a member of the ABA House of Delegates. He recently served as the chair of the ABA Board Committee on the Profession, Public Service, and Diversity and as a member of the ABA Executive Committee.  Judge Bailey is currently the Vice Chair of the ABA Judicial Division, an association of over four thousand federal and state judges. In practice, Judge Bailey was a partner at the Boston firm of Sherin and Lodgen, LLP, where he served as the litigation department chair and on the management committee.  He was an associate at the firm of Sullivan Law, LLP. He was a judicial law clerk to Hon. Herbert P. Wilkins, Associate Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, in 1980-81. Judge Bailey is also devoted to charitable work. He is Chair of the Immigrant Learning Center, Inc. in Malden, Massachusetts, a school that offers free, intensive English education to new Americans. Judge Bailey retired from the bench on June 1, 2022. He is now the President of Pioneer Public Interest Law Center, a public interest law firm in Boston. Judge Bailey is married to Susan L. Cahill, M.D., F.A.C.S., and has two sons, Matthew, a lawyer at Sullivan & Worcester LLP in Boston, and Michael, an energy analyst at National Grid in the U.S. Mr Rossa Fanning: Rossa Fanning was first appointed as Attorney General of Ireland on 17 December 2022, and was re-appointed to that position on 9 April 2024. Prior to his appointment, he was a Senior Counsel at the Irish Bar with a varied caseload spanning commercial law, judicial review, defamation and privacy law. He was called to the Irish Bar in 1999 and became a Senior Counsel in 2016. He is a CEDR Accredited Mediator and was admitted to the Bar of Northern Ireland in 2019. He was awarded BCL and LLM degrees from University College Dublin and holds an LLM from the University of Michigan.   Register Now!

Two University of Galway Law students, Mamadou Saliou Bah and Salma Smith were recently awarded RDJ Diversity and Inclusion Scholarships, worth €5,000 and a work placement opportunity with leading Irish law firm RDJ.  This year marks the first year of the RDJ Diversity and Inclusion Scholarship at University of Galway which support students from ethnic minorities and those who are under-represented in the legal profession in Ireland. RDJ has donated €100,000 over ten years for the scholarships, which are awarded to two University of Galway Law students each academic year. Mamadou and Salma were chosen as the scholarship recipients following a competitive selection and interview process based on exam results, a personal statement, a 1,000-word essay discussing the topic, “The Need for Diversifying the Legal Profession in Ireland”. The students were officially awarded their scholarships on campus by JP Gilmartin, Partner-in-Charge of RDJ's Galway office, Antoinette Vahey, Partner at RDJ, and Professor Martin Hogg, Dean of the University of Galway School of Law.             Commending the RDJ Diversity Scholars on their achievement, JP Gilmartin, Partner-in-Charge of RDJ's Galway office, said: “I am delighted to meet this year’s recipients of the RDJ Diversity Scholarship today. Mamadou and Salma are both outstanding students and I look forward to following what I have no doubt will be successful career paths for them both.”             Antoinette Vahey, Partner in RDJ’s Employment Group added: “Greater diversity and inclusion are among RDJ’s core values. This scholarship is in keeping with our commitment to creating a workplace that reflects the diversity of our clients and the communities we are part of.”             Acknowledging the importance of encouraging diversity in the legal profession, Professor Martin Hogg, Dean of University of Galway’s School of Law, said: “RDJ’s support in creating these two scholarships is sincerely appreciated by the School of Law. The two worthy inaugural recipients, Mamadou and Salma, will benefit greatly from them, receiving transformative support and encouragement to pursue legal careers in an increasingly diverse legal profession.” Ends

Dr Shivaun Quinlivan of University of Galway recently received a SATLE Impact Award for the project ‘Inclusive Learning’ at the University. Dr Shivaun Quinlivan (University of Galway School of Law) and Professor Lucy-Ann Buckley (a former colleague of University of Galway School of Law) co-led the project and worked alongside other team members including Dr Dinali Wijeratne, Mx Cameron Keighron, Ms Imelda Byrne, Ms Jane Ennis, Dr Niall Madden, Dr Miriam Byrne, Mr Daniel Savery, Ms Anna Ní Fhalatharta, Ms Kate Molloy, Mr Michael Coyne and Dr Sharon Flynn. The award celebrates excellence and impact in key areas of teaching and learning enhancement, including digital transformation, academic integrity, education for sustainable development and interdisciplinary work in any of these areas.  Each awardee receives €25,000 to develop their project further or explore a new research avenue. This interdisciplinary project which was funded by National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, the primary goal of the project was to centre the student voice, to hear directly from our students and to learn from their lived experiences, with a view to improving the learning experience for all students.  To that end the project focused on inclusive teaching and learning at University of Galway and had four aims:  To develop a model to empower the postgraduate student voice in inclusive teaching and learning, through student research and partnership. To develop a model for raising staff awareness about inclusion in teaching, learning, and assessment practices, at University of Galway and further afield, through a series of seminars and an international symposium on inclusive learning. To build capacity through the provision of practical supports and resources to embed inclusive practices at University of Galway, including training in Universal Design for Learning (UDL), the adoption of (and training on) Ally for LMS (now Anthology Ally for LMS), and the development of an inclusive learning resources repository for staff. To develop an evidence-based model for monitoring progress on inclusion, drawing on student experiences to guide policy development and identify strategic priorities at an institutional level. The project report is available here. The report focused on postgraduate experiences in five selected Schools of the University: the School of Law; the J.E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics; Shannon College of Hotel Management; the School of Mathematics, Applied Mathematics and Statistics; and the School of Physics. The range and choice of school were broadly representative of the University. The five schools included both STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine) and AHSSBL (Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, Business and Law) schools, as well as a professional discipline and a satellite campus. The participating students included both students from taught and research programmes. We would like to extend our sincere congratulations to Dr. Shivaun Quinlivan and Professor Lucy-Ann Buckley and the Inclusive Learning team on this fantastic award. 

Dr Naporn Popattanachai co-edited and recently published the new Research Handbook on Plastics Regulation Law, Policy and the Environment. This very timely book addresses international, regional, and national aspects of plastic regulation. It also takes the life-cycle approach and analyses plastic pollution from various perspectives, including health, biodiversity, oceans, trade and circular economy etc. It was recently published by Edward Elgar Publishing and is now available on its website. The book was co-edited by Professor Elizabeth A. Kirk School of Law, University of Lincoln, Dr Naporn Popattanachai, School of Law, University of Galway, Professor Richard Barnes School of Law, University of Lincoln, UK and Faculty of Law, Norwegian Centre for the Law of Sea, UiT The Arctic University of Norway and Associate Professor Eva R. van der Marel, Norwegian Centre for the Law of the Sea, Faculty of Law, UiT The Arctic University of Norway.

Dr Naporn Popattanachai co-advised the Royal Thai Government for delivering its oral statement in an advisory proceeding before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) concerning obligations of States in respect of Climate Change on 12 December 2024. Dr Popattanachai teamed up with his colleagues from the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Thammasat University and advised the Royal Thai Government in delivering its oral statement before the International Court of Justice in the case concerning obligations of States in respect of climate change. The verbatim record of Thailand’s oral statement can be found here. Dr Popattanachai is currently a lecturer in environmental and marine at School of Law, University of Galway. He specialises in international environmental law, international law of the sea, marine environmental law, and protection of global commons from environmental threats.

Last week, on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (the Commission) published a landmark study on access to justice for disabled people in Ireland.  The study was undertaken by Dr Charles O’Mahony of the School of Law at University of Galway and is accompanied by a policy brief with recommendations from the Commission. The study, informed by the voices and experiences of disabled people accessing or attempting to access the justice system, presents a stark picture as many disabled people face barrier layered upon barrier, trying to access their legal rights. Despite legislative and policy developments in recent years, there is a system where at times those responsible for implementing justice are unaware of their role in facilitating access to justice. It is a system where disabled people find themselves unsupported, faced with unclear processes and limited legal representation.  In some cases, they are denied justice altogether. The report found that these barriers are due to a range of factors, including complex legal systems, inadequate training and professional development for legal professionals, inadequate provision of legal aid, lack of data and inaccessible infrastructure and processes. Ultimately, Dr O’Mahony found that public bodies within the Irish justice system often inadequately address the needs of disabled people in their strategic plans. Therefore, they fail to reflect clear legal obligations designed to facilitate accessibility and prevent discrimination.  The findings informed a range of recommendations that seek to address these failures and work towards developing a harmonised legal framework that respects the rights of disabled people on an equal basis with others. Recommendations focus on a range of inter-related themes including: Enhancing Advocacy Services Expanding Legal Aid and legal outreach services Awareness and Education Initiatives Training for Justice System Personnel Diversity in Legal Professions and Judiciary Awareness about Less Visible Disabilities Providing Procedural and Reasonable Accommodations Accessibility Improvements Communication Training Data Collection, Analysis and Dissemination The newly appointed Chief Commissioner of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, Mr Liam Herrick said: “The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is clear that the State must ensure effective access to justice for disabled people. This study highlights that Ireland has much work to do to ensure access to justice on an equal basis with others.  We welcome this research by Dr Charles O’Mahony on our behalf, which provides clear and practical recommendations for the State to deliver on their human rights obligations and ensure better access to justice for all disabled people.” Dr Charles O’Mahony, author of the report, said: “This report identifies the complexity of effectively realising rights for disabled people in Ireland. The literature review reveals significant gaps in the availability of training related to disability law and policy for personnel involved in administering justice. The interviews with stakeholders provided valuable insights from disabled people and Disabled Persons Organisations. I hope that the recommendations made following this study can be actioned to help realise the rights of all disabled people.”

Every year, the School of Law offers tutorials to our Undergraduate and LL.B. students in a range of law subjects.  Applications are invited for tutoring positions in the following subjects:  Criminal Law Mooting* *Preference will be given to candidates with experience in mooting, in particular those who have experience in coaching mooting teams. Applicants must hold a 2.1 undergraduate or postgraduate degree in law or a related discipline. If you are interested in tutoring in the second semester of the academic year 2024/25, please submit a short (1 page max) cover letter and one page CV to Tara Elwood, School of Law, University of Galway (tara.elwood@universityofgalway.ie) by Tuesday 26th November 2024, indicating your preferred subject area(s). Please also provide contact details for one referee. The School of Law anticipates that interviews will be held virtually from Thursday 28th November 2024.

A Joint University of Galway - TUS Athlone Event Title: Learning from the Past to Build a Better Legal System Date/Location:  Monday 7 April 2025, University of Galway & online Organisers: Dr Rónán Kennedy, Alison Hough, Dr Abigail Rekas Submission Deadline: Extended to 18 March 2025 @ 5pm. Please send submissions to ronan.m.kennedy@universityofgalway.ie Summary: ‘Lawtech’ or legal technology continues to develop apace on the island of Ireland. Building on the success of last year’s event hosted by the Technological University of the Shannon (the third annual Legal Tech Conference event), we have expanded the event to one co-organised by TUS Athlone Business Department and the School of Law at University of Galway. This year the focus will be on the all-island lawtech sector, enabling and limiting policy and regulatory factors, and the influence of post-pandemic shifts. It explores key issues and themes in the regulatory and policy landscapes influencing the transformation of legal services, including areas of growth and under-exploited areas, the courts, and access to justice. It will create a space where legal academics, practitioners, students and the public can exchange experience and discuss the challenges and benefits of digital technology for lawyers and the public at large. It brings together expert speakers from industry, the judiciary and academia to discuss the driving and limiting factors in the adoption of digital technologies in the legal space such as mobile devices and apps, artificial intelligence, cloud computing and blockchain. It will particularly focus on lessons that can be learned from the sudden online pivot during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the different trajectories of legal technology in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. This conference will be of interest to academics, practitioners, law students, anyone thinking about a legal career or interested in how legal practice is changing. The conference will also feature a hackathon for student groups. We are seeking abstracts, workshop and panel proposals on the following topics: PhD students, or those engaged in postdoctoral research, on the themes of: Technology and Justice: How digital technologies are affecting access to justice. Regulation and Technology: How technology can improve legal governance and the rule of law. Pandemic Responses: How the COVID-19 pandemic encouraged rapid unplanned adoption of technology and what lessons can be drawn from that. Ethics and Legal Technology: What ethical and moral problems do emerging technologies create for legal practitioners, their clients and the courts. Human-Computer Interaction: How people perceive the introduction of law tech Other aspects of legal technology Papers from industry experts or academics on the following topics: Developments in Legal Practice: Legal practitioners’ perspectives. Technology and Justice: How digital technologies are affecting access to justice. Regulation through Technology: How technology can improve legal governance and the rule of law. Missed connections: opportunities that are lost or underutilised in modern legal practice or regulation Lawtech in Ireland/Northern Ireland: What is distinctive about the industry in the island of Ireland? What cross-border differences exist and what are the positive factors or barriers to cross-border cooperation? What can each jurisdiction learn from the other? Enabling and restricting conditions in the Irish/NI lawtech landscape for innovation and early adoption: The policy and regulatory conditions necessary for a thriving all-island lawtech sector in Ireland. Regulatory Intersections & AI for Law: Does AI advice constitute legal advice, and potentially fall foul of legal professional rules placing limitations on who can give legal advice? What liability issues arise for AI generated advice "Gray Advice"? How will this impact the legal profession? Are the boundaries clearly delineated, in Ireland, and have other jurisdictions generated better solutions? Other aspects of legal technology in practice and in the courts Important Dates: 18 March 2025: Deadline (recently extended to 18th March) for paper and panel proposals to ronan.m.kennedy@universityofgalway.ie 24 March 2025: Acceptance decisions 7 April 2025: Conference

The Law Society and Women in Law Society in conjunction with the School of Law is delighted to host a talk with the Hon. Mark A Kearney, judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Judge Kearney's talk will focus on the role of the advocate, his work as a federal judge, and in what will be of particular interest to 3rd and final year students, a summer internship available to University of Galway law students. Judge Kearney will be joined by Oisin O'Neill Dwyer, a 4th year BCL student who participated in the internship last summer and Petrina Sheridan, who completed the internship a number of years ago. Judge Kearney will join the event by Zoom. Attendees are encouraged to attend in person but if that is not possible they can also join online. Day/time: Monday 11th November at 5pm In-person venue: Seminar room, Career Development Centre (can find it here) Zoom Link: https://universityofgalway-ie.zoom.us/j/92205993577?pwd=DTIIuULB4CCAPVgOasuEtxvog3UTi3.1  

We have two upcoming events with Mental Health Reform on Monday 11th  November – ‘Understanding the Proposed Changes to Mental Health Law’ and ‘Mental Health Hustings’ see details below. Understanding the Proposed Changes to Mental Health Law This seminar will provide insights into the new Mental Health Bill 2024, focusing on the key changes in legislation and what these changes mean for mental health services in Ireland. Date: Monday, 11th of November 2024  Time: 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm Location: ILAS, North Campus, University of Galway (large lecture hall, LCI-G018) Speakers: Dr Charles O'Mahony, School of Law, University of Galway and Ber Grogan, Policy & Research Manager, Mental Health Reform Register Now   Mental Health Hustings Come and tell some of the candidates around Galway why Mental Health Matters to you for your vote! Find out the mental health priorities of the General Election candidates in Galway. Date: Monday, 11th of November 2024  Time: 6:45 pm - 8pm (tea/coffee and biscuits from 6.30pm - 6.45pm) Location: ILAS, North Campus, University of Galway (large lecture hall, LCI-G018) No Registration Required

On Monday 28 October 2024, the President of Ireland signed into law groundbreaking records preservation legislation. The Maternity Protection, Employment Equality and Preservation of Certain Records Act 2024 makes it a criminal offence to destroy, fail to preserve, remove from the jurisdiction, or fail to give the Director of the National Archives of Ireland an account of, privately held records relating to Ireland’s institutional and family separation system and the religious and other bodies that operated it.  Dr Maeve O’Rourke advocated for and influenced the content of this legislation, which was introduced by the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic O’Gorman TD. Dr O’Rourke worked together with Dr Mark Coen, Dr Claire McGettrick and Professor Katherine O’Donnell of University College Dublin and Professor James M Smith of Boston College.  Following the recommendations of the Northern Ireland independent Truth Recovery Design Panel, of which Dr O’Rourke was a member, legislation requiring the preservation of historical institutional records was passed in Northern Ireland in 2022. Dr O’Rourke’s jointly authored report, which drew on the views of more than 100 victim-survivors, emphasised the importance of records preservation as a first step to information access regarding the abuses perpetrated in Magdalene Laundries, Mother and Baby institutions, Workhouses, and the related family separation system.  Further impetus for similar legislation in the Republic of Ireland arose with the publication of A Dublin Magdalene Laundry: Donnybrook and Church-State Power in Ireland (Bloomsbury 2023), which Dr O’Rourke co-edited with Dr Mark Coen and Prof Katherine O’Donnell. In particular, Mark Coen’s discovery in 2018 of several decades’ worth of financial records and correspondence on the site of the former Donnybrook Magdalene Laundry—records which the McAleese Committee to establish the facts of State involvement with the Magdalen Laundries asserted ‘did not survive’—demonstrated the precarious state of these records and archives, which are essential to truth-telling and other pillars of transitional justice in Ireland today.  Dr O’Rourke’s previous work includes extensive academic research and human rights-focused advocacy contributing to the Birth Information and Tracing Act 2022 and to the Irish Government’s commitment to a future National Centre for Research and Remembrance at the site of the former Magdalene Laundry at Sean McDermott Street in Dublin 1 (discussed in Ireland and the Magdalene Laundries: A Campaign for Justice (IB Tauris/Bloomsbury 2021). Dr O’Rourke has further worked with LLM students in the Human Rights Law Clinic at the Irish Centre for Human Rights to educate the public about, and to assist affected people to access archives held by those involved in, the institutional and family separation system.  See further:  LLM Students Create Website to Help Industrial and Reformatory School Survivors Access their Personal Records LLM students create public education resources concerning Dublin’s Sean McDermott Street Magdalene Laundry site LLM students publish secondary school teaching materials on Ireland’s institutional abuses

We are delighted to share that Anne White O'Brien, a recent University of Galway School of Law graduate, has been named as one of the Global Winners in this year's Global Undergraduate Awards. Anne submitted her Guided Research Essay to the 'Global Undergraduate Awards', and she won her award in the law category. The Guided Research Essay is completed by all students on our full law degrees at the School of Law and Anne’s essay was supervised by Dr Diarmuid Griffin. Anne will be presented with the Thomas Clarkson Gold Medal at the international summit in Dublin this November, and her essay will also be published in the Global Undergraduate Library.

On Thursday, 17 October, Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee TD commenced legislation providing for the establishment of the Judicial Appointments Commission on 1 January 2025.  This marks the most substantial reform in the way judges are chosen for appointment in almost thirty years. The Judicial Appointments Commission Act establishes a new, independent Judicial Appointments Commission to select and recommend persons for all judicial offices in Ireland and in the EU and international courts. The Commission will have the objective that membership of the judiciary should reflect the diversity of the population as a whole. The membership will be chaired by Chief Justice, The Hon Mr Justice Donal O'Donnell. School of Law’s Associate Professor Dr Rónán Kennedy has been announced as a lay member of the Judicial Appointments Commission. Lay Members have been appointed by the Minister for Justice following an open and competitive selection process conducted by the Public Appointments Service. Learn more about the Commission here. 

University of Galway School of Law's Annual Distinguished Lecture took place on Thursday 17th October at the Aula Maxima, University of Galway and featured the renowned former President of Ireland Mary Robinson in conversation with Professor Donncha O'Connell. The sold out event was attended by students, alumni, staff and friends of our School community. View Event Pictures The fireside chat covered Mary Robinson’s astounding career to date from her role as President of Ireland and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, to her focus on Climate Justice. Watch the Recording Speaker: Mary Robinson is Adjunct Professor for Climate Justice in Trinity College Dublin and Chair of The Elders. She served as President of Ireland from 1990-1997 and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights from 1997-2002. She is a member of the Club of Madrid and the recipient of numerous honours and awards including the Presidential Medal of Freedom from the President of the United States Barack Obama. Between 2013 and 2016 Mary served as the UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy in three roles; first for the Great Lakes region of Africa, then on Climate Change leading up to the Paris Agreement and in 2016 as his Special Envoy on El Niño and Climate. Her Foundation, the Mary Robinson Foundation – Climate Justice, established in 2010, came to a planned end in April 2019. A former President of the International Commission of Jurists and former chair of the Council of Women World Leaders she was President and founder of Realizing Rights: The Ethical Globalization Initiative from 2002-2010 and served as Honorary President of Oxfam International from 2002-2012. She was Chancellor of the University of Dublin from 1998 to 2019.  Mary Robinson serves as Patron of the International Science Council and Patron of the Board of the Institute of Human Rights and Business, is an Ambassador for The B Team, in addition to being a board member of several organisations including the Mo Ibrahim Foundation and the Aurora Foundation. Recently she became joint Honorary President of the Africa Europe Foundation. Mary’s memoir, ‘Everybody Matters’ was published in September 2012 and her book, ‘Climate Justice - Hope, Resilience and the Fight for a Sustainable Future’ was published in September 2018. She is also co-host of a podcast on the climate crisis, called ‘Mothers of Invention’.  

We were delighted to welcome Ms Justice Nuala Jackson, Judge of the High Court, who delivered a Lecture to students from Ms Colleen Brownlee's Family Law class this morning. The title of the Lecture was 'Applied Family Law - Lecture on Nullity, Judicial Separation and Divorce'.

The Crime Punishment and Rights Film Series* presents 20 Days in Mariupol. This award-winning documentary focuses on the Russian invasion of Ukraine and documents atrocities committed in the besieged city of Mariupol. The documentary will be screened on Thursday 24th October at 6:30pm in Pálás Cinema. The crime and rights issues raised by the movie will be introduced by Professor Shane Darcy (Irish Centre in Human Rights) and Dr. Iuliia Anosova (Huma Rights Centre, Ghent University). Professor Darcy is an expert in international humanitarian and international criminal law and Deputy Director of the Irish Centre for Human Rights. For recent publications on informants and collaborators in armed conflict see here, and victims of aggression in international law, see here. Dr. Iuliia Anosova is a researcher and human rights lawyer from Ukraine specializing in international law and human rights. Currently she is a postdoctoral fellow under the MSCA4Ukraine fellowship programme at the Faculty of Law and Criminology of Ghent University, Belgium. For recent publications on international criminal justice and Ukraine see here and conflict-related sexual violence see here. Tickets for 20 Days in Mariupol can be purchased here - https://www.palas.ie/film/20-days-in-mariupol Click here to sign up for student loyalty! (For €5 tickets, no booking fee, €4 popcorn, and more...) The Crime Punishment and Rights Film Series is an initiative of the Crime, Punishment and Rights Research Cluster at the University of Galway, supported by the School of Law and Irish Centre for Human Rights in partnership with Pálás Cinema.

The war and the extensive destruction it has caused, along with the internal displacement of millions of Ukrainians, pose significant challenges to the fulfillment of the right to adequate housing in Ukraine. Currently, efforts are underway to develop amendments to national legislation to seek sustainable solutions to housing challenges for vulnerable populations and those impacted by military actions. Professor Padraic Kenna, Director of the Centre for Housing Law, Rights and Policy at the School of Law, University of Galway (Ireland), has prepared a report for the Council of Europe* on the right to housing in the light of European standards and good practices. The report can be accessed at the following link. The report provides a detailed analysis of the standards of the European Social Charter (revised) through the lens of the practice of the European Committee of Social Rights (ECSR) regarding Articles 16 and 31 (paragraphs 1-3), which ensure the right to housing. It also addresses other relevant standards related to access to adequate housing, prevention of homelessness, and protection of vulnerable groups from unlawful eviction. The report also addresses current issues in Ukraine concerning social housing: its standards, funding, and practices in European states. It includes a detailed analysis of the conclusions of the European Committee of Social Rights regarding Ukraine in the context of Article 31 (paragraphs 1-2), as well as recommendations and references to useful studies that may be considered when developing updated housing legislation. It should be recalled that in 2023, the European Committee of Social Rights issued its conclusions on Ukraine in the context of ratified paragraphs 1-2 of Article 31 of the European Social Charter. The situation in Ukraine was found to be non-compliant with the requirements of the European Social Charter, particularly due to: the lack of sufficient information concerning adequate housing conditions in Ukraine; insufficient legal protection for individuals at risk of eviction, including the absence of data on the notice period prior to eviction, availability of alternative housing, and legal remedies. *The report was prepared as part of the Council of Europe projects "Enhanced social protection in Ukraine" and “Facilitating housing solutions for the war-affected people in Ukraine” implemented under the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine "Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction" for 2023-2026.

University of Galway School of Law is delighted to host an event on 'International Arbitration and the Future of Arbitration in Ireland'. Guest speakers will include Mr Neil Kaplan CBE KC SBS and Mr Justice David Barniville, President of the High Court. The event will be moderated by Dr Connie Healy, Lecturer at University of Galway School of Law. Registration from 6.30pmFirst Talk 7.00pm: Mr Neil Kaplan CBE KC SBS - 'International Arbitration - How we got here – 45 years that changed it all'Second Talk 7.40pm: Mr Justice David Barniville - 'Arbitration in an Irish context: Opportunities for Ireland as a dispute resolution hub?'Q&A 8.10pm to 8.30pm  Location Moot Courtroom, St Anthony's Building, University of Galway Register now for event tickets: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/universityofgalwayschooloflaw1/1409630  

Corrigan & Corrigan Solicitors LLP is delighted to introduce a new Tort Prize for undergraduate students of University of Galway School of Law. Corrigan & Corrigan is a third generation firm of solicitors founded in 1906. Widely regarded as one of the leading insurance litigation firms in the country, we offer a niche, specialist insurance, advisory and defence litigation service to the insurance industry, private clients and the public sector. Corrigan & Corrigan believe firmly in the importance of education and lifelong learning, and we are proud to sponsor a new Tort Prize worth €500 for the first year student who achieves the highest mark in the Tort module. For more details please contact Ursula Connolly at Ursula.connolly@universityofgalway.ie Conditions: Students must be registered first-year undergraduate students of Tort Law (LW262 or LW3109) at University of Galway. To be eligible for consideration students: must have passed the Tort Law module and must have passed first year overall and the School of Law must be satisfied that an appropriate standard has been reached. The prize will be awarded to the student with the highest result in Tort Law. The result is calculated using the result in the written examination and any continuous assessments. Where more than one student has the same highest result the prize will be evenly shared between those students.

We are delighted to announce the new RDJ Diversity and Inclusion Scholarship for Law Students at University of Galway. Two successful candidates will each receive a scholarship worth €5,000 and a summer work placement opportunity with RDJ in the Firm’s Galway office. As part of RDJ’s commitment to a diverse talent pool in Law, the RDJ Diversity and Inclusion Scholarship at University of Galway is intended to promote diversity in the School of Law by providing financial support to students who are under-represented in Law. View Eligibility Details! With offices in Cork, Dublin and Galway, RDJ is one of Ireland’s top full-service law firms, representing clients from scaling and established Irish companies to multinationals, financial institutions and global insurance companies with unique cross-sectoral expertise. The firm are invested in their people and take active steps to create a healthy workplace, promote a culture of equality, openness and belonging and support organisations that make a positive impact in their surrounding communities. RDJ has been recognised with Ibec’s workplace accreditation, the KeepWell Mark; the Irish Centre for Diversity’s Investors in Diversity Silver Standard; and is a participant in 30% Club. The closing date for applications is Friday, 8th November 2024.

Dr. Mulgrew was invited by the Executive Director Saoirse Brady to join the Board of Directors of Irish Penal Reform Trust and was co-opted on 27 July 2024. Her election to the Board of Directors was officially confirmed following a vote at the Annual General Meeting in Dublin on 18 September 2024. IPRT, an independent charity, was founded in 1994 by a group of citizens concerned about the abuses of human rights in Irish prisons. The IPRT is Ireland's leading non-governmental organisation campaigning for rights in the penal system and the progressive reform of Irish penal policy. It has three priority areas of work: a national penal policy which is just, humane, evidence-led, and uses prison as a last resort  a national penal system which protects and promotes human rights and strives to achieve international best practice in its regimes, daily practices and overall culture  IPRT as a sustainable, well-resourced, respected and collaborative stakeholder in penal policy in Ireland IPRT is governed by a voluntary Board of Directors with expertise in a range of areas relevant to penal reform. The Board focuses on the broader strategic goals of the organisation.    

Universities in Ireland, Poland and Spain have come together to create new studies on all aspects of housing in Europe.   The online programmes are designed for national housing and European policymakers, housing and property professionals, housing managers, students, housing providers, NGOs and others.   Key European housing issues - from rights, to tenure, to homelessness, to roles of professionals and stakeholders - are explained by top European housing experts, in 48 short, accessible sections, with national examples, and up to date references.   The Centre for Housing Law, Rights and Policy at University of Galway developed the new Online Course on EU Housing Studies - available at https://www.housingstudies.eu/about-us - along with University of Silesia in Poland, the UNESCO Housing Chair at University Rovira I Virgili in Spain, and others.   Professor Padraic Kenna, Director of the Centre for Housing Law, Rights and Policy at University of Galway, said: “Housing is now recognised as a European Union issue by President Ursula von der Leyen. However, almost all housing and associated professional training, research and policymaking is focussed on national level issues. What we are aiming to achieve with this new approach is to bridge the knowledge gap which currently exists - identifying and relating the housing issues which are impacted by the EU, its policy making, and which affect its 450 million citizens.   “This will become an essential part of all progressive housing-related training and policymaking in the years ahead and will be invaluable for national housing and European policymakers, housing and property professionals, housing managers, students in housing and housing related professions, housing providers, NGOs and others. It provides an invaluable introduction to the area for those building a career and specialisation in housing anywhere in the EU.”   The course is fully-funded and was developed through EU Erasmus funding and provides accurate up to date information on all aspects of housing in Europe. Participants may proceed from the initial fully-funded course to accredited certification on paying a registration fee.    It addresses such issues as: Access and tenure of housing; Housing as market; Transactions with homes and funding; Roles and functions of Housing and Property Professionals and Stakeholders in Europe; Housing, city, territory and environment; Housing and New Technologies; Theory of housing studies; The right to housing; Development of housing; Forced loss and lack of housing.   Ends

University of Galway's Centre for Housing Law, Rights and Policy is holding a public seminar 'The Right to Home - what is it?', by guest speaker Professor Lorna Fox O'Mahony from Essex Law School who is a world renowned expert on the meaning of home and its place within the right to housing. The seminar will be chaired by Professor Padraic Kenna who is the Director of University of Galway's Centre for Housing Law Rights and Policy.  Location: Seminar Room, Irish Centre for Human Rights Building at University of Galway Date & Time: Tuesday 24th September 7pm to 8.30pm  Register Now Speaker: Professor Lorna Fox-O’ Mahony is a world leader in developing the concept of the meaning of home and its place within the right to housing. Home = a building + X factor. The X factor represents the social, psychological and cultural values which a physical structure acquires through use as a home. This requires that housing is treated differently in law from all other property types – a situation which the law and lawyers struggle to achieve. Professor Fox-O’Mahony, who is based at University of Essex, has published widely on housing and property law, and contributed to the Housing Commission Report on the wording for a Referendum on the right to housing in Ireland. Chairperson: Professor Padraic Kenna lectures in land law, housing law and policy and housing rights, at University of Galway, having published some six books and over 50 journal articles on these topics. As Director of the Centre for Housing Law, Rights and Policy, he leads housing law, rights and policy research at national and European level.

The School of Law is looking for a tutor in Criminal Law for the academic year 2024/25. Applicants must hold a 2.1 undergraduate or postgraduate degree in law or a related discipline.   If you are interested, please submit a short (1 page max) cover letter and one page CV to Tara Elwood, School of Law, University of Galway (tara.elwood@universityofgalway.ie) by Tuesday 3rd September 2024. Please also provide contact details for one referee.  The School of Law anticipates that interviews will be held virtually within a week of the closing date.   Please note that all tutorials take place in-person and on campus during the daytime.

Grace O’Brien, a final year student in the BCL (Criminology and Criminal Justice) degree programme, completed a prestigious internship with the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.  She was assigned to Judge O. Rogeriee Thompson, who was appointed to the federal appellate bench by President Barack Obama in 2010 and assumed senior status on the court in 2022.  Ms O’Brien obtained the internship through the summer exchange programme between the School of Law and Suffolk University Law School in Boston, Massachusetts, which is directed in Galway by Larry Donnelly and Dr Conor Hanly and by Professor Sara Dillon in Boston.  Dozens of students have obtained invaluable legal and cross-cultural experience on both sides on the Atlantic since the programme was founded.  The partnership agreement between the two law schools also includes a popular annual summer school on University of Galway's campus.  Ms O’Brien is the first student in the exchange programme's history to be awarded an internship at the federal appellate level. During June and July, she divided her time between Judge Thompson’s offices in Boston and Providence, Rhode Island.  Here is what Grace had to say about her experience:  “During my time in Judge Thompson’s Chambers, I worked preparing bench memorandums for oral hearings. This work was interesting due to the great variety of cases before the Court of Appeals. In preparing these memorandums I would thoroughly read and review the record and briefs before researching the issues on appeal. Following this, I would conduct a legal analysis of the issues, ultimately asserting my legal opinion on how the case should be decided. The most exciting part of the externship was getting to see these cases play out at trial at oral hearings. It was amazing seeing a case come to life before you, having worked on it in-depth for the past two months. I was also extremely privileged to have the opportunity to discuss these cases with Judge after the hearings and to get an insight into how she reached her decisions on the issues. Aside from working on bench memorandums, I also assisted the law clerks with record checks and reviews of opinions for release. While the Court of Appeals is based in Boston, we also worked in the Providence office in Rhode Island one day a week. It was such a great opportunity to get to know another American city and state, and us interns bonded quickly carpooling down to Rhode Island together! I found that working with American law students really helped my cultural immersion in the United States and its legal system. It gave me a great insight into their legal education and training, and they were all so kind and helpful to me in adapting to a new country and working in a new legal system! It was such an incredible honour to work for Judge Thompson. She can only be described as a trailblazer. She is the first African-American and second woman to serve as a judge on the United States Court of Appeal for the First Circuit and was confirmed unanimously. Judge Thompson has extensive experience as a state court judge and above all is a woman with deep integrity, compassion, and respect for the law. It was such a privilege to work for such an inspiring woman, she will forever remain a role model of mine. Aside from her powerful legal presence though, she also happens to be a huge fan of river dance and has even visited Galway before! Overall, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The insight I gained into not only the American legal system, but American politics and culture was second to none. I am very grateful to Larry and Conor in the law school for organising this opportunity and would strongly recommend this experience!” 

University of Galway School of Law is proud to be a member of the Law Schools Global League, and as part of this membership, one student from the School is offered the opportunity to attend the annual LSGL Summer School. The LSGL Summer School offers students a cutting-edge learning experience in exploring the challenges of the legal profession in an increasingly globalised world. The courses are co-taught by professors from member institutions. This year’s 12th LSGL Summer School took place at University de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia, in July, and Emma Kennelly, a Law (BCL) student at University of Galway School of Law, was selected to attend. Emma, said: "My time at the 12th Law Schools Global League Summer School was an experience that I will never forget. The factors involved in this life-changing experience were the incredible friends I made, the kindness of the professors, the beauty of Colombian culture, and the friendly and welcoming atmosphere of University de los Andes.Not only did I forge bonds that I am sure will last a lifetime with my peers from all across the globe, but I also had the chance to engage in meaningful and insightful discussions with those who, I am certain, are the future of the law. Both inside and outside the classroom, I heard various different perspectives on law and life, which I will take home with me and which have expanded my own views. Over the span of two short weeks, I feel like I learned many life skills that will stick to me both in my professional and personal life.The professors were just as kind and thoughtful as my peers; I could really sense their unfailing enthusiasm and commitment to the topics they taught, which in turn fuelled my own desire to learn. The teaching methods were engaging and collaborative, and I truly appreciated the emphasis on interactions in the classroom – no opinion was left unheard or unexplored. Once again I felt my own values expanded and developed in a relatively short amount of time.Moreover, University de los Andes and the city of Bogotá itself have left a lasting impact on me. I watched the final of the Copa America in a crowd of 10,000 Colombian people, all of whom I talked to were warm-hearted, welcoming, and encouraging about me practicing speaking Spanish. The teaching assistants, who attend University de los Andes, were extremely caring, looking out for everyone, and I am grateful to now call them my friends. I have also tried many amazing new foods, dances and sports typical of Colombia. Without a doubt would I recommend the LSGL Summer School in order to truly immerse oneself in a different culture.Overall, this was a once in a lifetime opportunity that I am truly grateful to have been afforded the chance to take." Learn more about LSGL Summer School

University of Galway's Irish Centre for Human Rights is delighted to announce the Inaugural lecture 'Ireland and the World - Appealing to International Law in Times of Conflict' by Professor Shane Darcy. This is a free public lecture but spaces are limited. Register now: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/universityofgalwayschooloflaw1/1322931 Please note: By booking a ticket you also agree to being contacted by email in relation to this event. Location Aula Maxima, Quadrangle, University of Galway

University of Galway School of Law is delighted to announce the addition of two new academic staff members. Professor Csongor Nagy will serve as our new Professor in Commercial Law, and Dr. Naporn 'Prompt' Popattanachai will serve as our new Lecturer in Environmental and Marine Law. A warm Galway welcome to both Professor Nagy and Dr. Popattanachai!

Dr Brian Tobin presented a paper critiquing Ireland's approach to surrogacy arrangements in the Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) Bill 2022 at the workshop, Surrogacy Beyond the Carceral: Culture, Law and Lived Experience, which was hosted by the Centre for Cultures of Reproduction, Technologies and Health (CORTH) at the University of Sussex in the U.K. last week. The 2022 Bill passed both Houses of the Oireachtas last week, and yesterday (2nd July) it was signed into law by the President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins.

University of Galway School of Law and the Irish Centre for Human Rights are pleased to announce that Professor Siobhán Mullally will present a significant report to the UN Human Rights Council this Wednesday afternoon in Geneva. Professor Mullally serves as the UN Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children, and her report addresses some of the most pressing issues in the fight against human trafficking. The report, 'Trafficking in persons, mixed migration and protection at sea', can be accessed in full here. The presentation of two Country Reports on Colombia and the Central African Republic, have also been published and can be viewed here.

University of Galway’s School of Law has won Law School of the Year at the Dye and Durham Irish Law Awards 2024 - the second time it has won the prestigious accolade.   This award recognises University of Galway School of Law’s academic excellence and innovative teaching methods along with its commitment to provide high quality student support and engagement.   Dean of University of Galway School of Law, Professor Martin Hogg, said: “I’m thrilled at this public recognition of all the hard work that colleagues consistently put in to make our law school such a great place to work and study. It’s testimony also to the quality of our students, who are a pleasure to teach and who go on as alumni to give us a real sense of pride as they establish themselves in the world.”   University of Galway’s School of Law was previously named Law School of the Year in 2019. In addition to taking home the top award, the School had a number of staff and students who were finalists across three different categories at the Dye and Durham Irish Law Awards 2024.   Five students made the final shortlist for Law Student of the Year: Katie Cunningham, Law (BCL) and Business; Diarmuid Kilgallen, Law (BCL); Fiachra McInerney, Law (BCL) and Human Rights; Tom O'Connor, Law (BCL) and Human Rights; and Eric Ehigie, Law (BCL) and Business.   Three staff members made the final shortlist for Legal Educator of the Year: Deirdre Callanan, Dr Conor Hanly and Dr Brian Tobin, while Dr Andrew Forde was nominated for Law Book of the Year for his book European Human Rights Grey Zones: The Council of Europe and Areas of Conflict.   University of Galway School of Law is ranked in the top 150 Law Schools in the world, according to the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024. It is also internationally recognised for its research-led work in other areas, including the renowned Irish Centre for Human Rights, the Centre for Disability Law and Policy and Centre for Housing Law, Rights and Policy.   Ends

Every year, the School of Law offers tutorials to our Undergraduate and LL.B. students in a range of law subjects. Applications are invited for tutoring positions in the following subjects: Administrative Law Company Law Contract Law Constitutional Law Criminal Law Equity European Union Law Evidence Family & Child Law Land Law Mooting Understanding the Law*  * This is a first-year module that combines the Irish Legal System and Legal Methods and Research modules.  It is skills-based, with a strong emphasis on legal writing.  It is taught for the first four weeks of Semester I. Applications from students who have already taken this module, or who have been CÉIM leaders, will be particularly welcome.    All modules, with the exception of Understanding the Law and Mooting, are taught in both Semester I and 2. Understanding the Law is taught in Semester I only and Mooting is taught in Semester 2 only.  The academic calendar for 2024-25 is: Semester 1 Monday 9th September – Friday 29th November, 2024  (Tutorials start on week 5 for 8 weeks) Semester 2 Monday 14th January – Friday 4th April, 2025 First years: Semester 1 TBC Semester 2 TBC Applicants must hold a 2.1 undergraduate or postgraduate degree in law or a related discipline. If you are interested in tutoring in the academic year 2024/25, please submit a short (1 page max) cover letter and one page CV to Tara Elwood, School of Law, University of Galway (tara.elwood@universityofgalway.ie) by Monday 24th June 2024, indicating your preferred subject area(s). Please also provide contact details for one referee.  The School of Law anticipates that interviews will be held virtually from Monday 1st July 2024.

Our new Lecturer in Taxation, Dr Maria O'Brien (J.E Cairnes School of Business & Economics/School of Law), has recently established the Irish chapter of the global Digital Games Research Association. DiGRA Ireland is a network of academic and non-academic scholars who commit to developing research on games in Ireland and is associated with the global Digital Games Research Association (digra.org), which has been operational since 2003. DiGRA is the premiere international association for academics and professionals who research digital games and associated phenomena. For further information on DiGRA Ireland, please contact Dr Maria O’Brien (maria.m.obrien@universityofgalway.ie) More info: https://digra.org/chapter/digra-ireland/

We are pleased to announce that Dr Rónán Kennedy is a co-author of the AI4People Institute's new report, 'Towards an Ethics by Design Approach for AI.' The report outlines in actionable detail an “Ethics by Design” approach, which guides organisations, public or private, small, or large enterprises, in proactively designing, developing and maintaining Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems in accordance with the laws, ethical, moral principles and public values that underpin the European Union. Read the full report here: https://ai4people.org/the-new-ai4people-institutes-report/

Professor Donncha O’Connell of University of Galway School of Law delivered this citation at the presentation of the ‘John B. Keane Lifetime Achievement Award for Services to Arts & Culture’ to President Michael D. Higgins at the opening of Listowel Writers’ Week 2024.  Citation There is a delightful irony, that would not be lost on the Listowel man in whose name this award is being presented, in a President being conferred with an honour in a kingdom, a kingdom at the south-western tip of a republic in which he presides as primus inter pares, or first among equals. The President and his wife have come to liberate The Kingdom…and they brought their army!  The sociological insight so powerfully evident in the work of John B. Keane – what John Hewitt would call knowing your ‘corner in the 2 universe’ – chimes resonantly with the writing – academic, journalistic and poetic – of President Higgins. Both wrote with courage and penetrating truthfulness. Both railed against literary and academic distortions of peasantry by extoling a liberation of mind and heart. Both saw the telling of stories – especially women’s stories – overlaid by euphemism, silence and shame, as a form of what Rebecca Anne Barr calls ‘radical vulnerability’. Both knew and respected their diverse audiences well.  ……  The world is full of good and bad ideas. Ideas are all that some people have – we dream, we hope, we imagine, we plan. We think before we act.  Ideas sustain us, but some ideas defeat us.  When Michael D. Higgins entered the office of President of Ireland in November 2011, he promised ‘a presidency of ideas’.  This made sense for an office in which the office-holder is required to dedicate their abilities to the service and welfare of the people, an elected office situated at the apex of the Oireachtas within the constitutional superstructure, neither executive nor judicial.  But it also made sense for that particular office-holder whose life as a sociologist, politician, teacher, writer, public intellectual and poet was all about ideas and their transformative, emancipatory power.  Therefore, the aphorism about campaigning in poetry and governing in prose is entirely irrelevant to the Irish presidency, not because our President happens to write poetry and prose, but because a President does not govern.  And how audacious were we – the People – to elect … and re-elect… a President whose ideas seem, for some, to represent impermissible iconoclasm, people who view his every second utterance as some kind of constitutional trespass, people for whom the Constitution represents a boundary map of domains separated by bright lines, a procedural map and not a field of dreams.  It should not be forgotten that the core animating principle of popular sovereignty at the heart of the Irish Constitution – the idea that power comes ultimately from The People – hints at the possibility of human flourishing.  So, to insist on asserting the full, legitimate value of the presidency, by engaging – diligently and unapologetically – in thought leadership, is neither subversive nor irregular. It is, rather, the honouring of a powerful democratic mandate. It is the authentic engagement of a man described by Declan Kiberd as ‘a critical traditionalist’. Rather than subverting the Constitution, it is, actually, making the Constitution work.  So, in the penultimate year of a presidency of ideas, in a world in which so many wrong ideas seem to have taken hold, how do we keep faith with ideas? How do we deploy good ideas in our activism to forestall what are presented as baleful and depressing inevitabilities?  The arc of the moral universe cannot bend towards justice in a world where the arc of the algorithm pulls in the opposite direction. The ideal of peaceful coexistence and respect for human rights struggles to be even remembered when terror groups - and states - behave with pathological impunity, and when other states collude, by action or silence, in what President Higgins himself has termed ‘the complicity of the averted gaze’.  To borrow a quote from Raymond Williams (used recently by President Higgins in a speech delivered at Manchester University):  “To be truly radical is to make hope possible, rather than despair convincing.”  We need to work harder at being ‘truly radical’ in these times. We need to be less certain in our despondencies and more determined about our good ideas for a better future, not fearing the scruple described by Michael D as, ‘the maggot in the heart of certainty’.  …….  Before becoming the first Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht in 1992, Michael D. Higgins worked for twenty-five years as a lecturer in UCG. He was, and I know this from direct experience, a teacher who turned heads and opened minds. This strong ability to connect with younger people endures as a noteworthy feature of his presidency. While working as an academic he was also engaged in local and national politics and, what he himself described as, ‘a recovered pursuit of authenticity through poetry’.  He approached the task of being a Minister with vision, urgency and boldness. He transformed arrangements to enable the reinvigoration of the Irish film industry, the positive effects of which still endure; he established Teilifís na Gaeilge (now TG4); at a sensitive moment in the peace process on this island he brought an end to censorship under Section 31 of the Broadcasting Acts. In addition, he established a network of local arts and culture venues throughout the country providing a hugely enhanced physical infrastructure for creativity but, also, opening up access to arts and culture for citizens everywhere. As Minister, he also drove the revitalisation of Ireland’s canal network.   His period as Minister was marked by a strong rejection of individualism in favour of what he called ‘the irrepressible humanity of communities and groups’ and, in particular, an artistic community that, by and large, refused to be subverted by individualism.  Speaking as President in Derry in 2012, he reflected on culture in the following terms:  “Culture…can build an understanding of the many facets of sustainability, promote a sense of solidarity, positively inspire a model of economy that values fairness and is ethically robust, and be the bedrock from which, self-confident about the integrity of our own culture, we can reach out to understand and respect other cultures. Culture is therefore a matter of public policy that needs to be brought in from the margins. It is not a residual issue tangential to the needs of the real economy.”  This statement encapsulates the transcendent nature of culture in society and in our politics. It also reveals the pragmatic, hard-nosed side of the politician who fights for arts and culture, not merely as some tourism artefact or for decorative effect, but as an essential and indispensable condition of good living for all.  In the life of Michael D. Higgins – public and private – this is his golden thread, and no mere content point of personal branding. This deep commitment is shared with his wife, Sabina Coyne, whose creative advice, boundless energy and tireless activism have been a loving and sustaining force for decades.  Whether in the Ethics Initiative of his first term, or various activities (in both terms) associated with the Decade of Centenaries, President Higgins has always drawn on the work of artists and creative writers to vivify the powerful thinking of key influential philosophers like Arendt, Ricoeur and Kearney. He has done this with brilliant deftness and impactful sensitivity in relation to engagements in Northern Ireland.  When he speaks of migration his speeches are informed not just by the evidence of academics but by the insights of writers, poets and artists whose creativity draws on lived experience, and with whom he stands in dynamic solidarity and understanding, being himself a gifted writer.  When he speaks about literature, he speaks always from a humane vantage point within literature, conscious of its craft elements, its goals and its moral scope.  His longstanding feel for ecological issues is no less grounded in an intimacy with nature, Mother Nature, and those whose aesthetic is rooted in the natural world, if not the genre of what he has called ‘pastoral nonsense’. He speaks with moral and scientific authority for a new global consciousness of universalism that is animated by practical and local understanding, and defined by an authentic altruism.  ….  Returning to Kiberd’s description of Michael D Higgins as ‘a critical traditionalist’, the award being presented tonight is a warm acknowledgment of a man whose thinking, writing and political activism have always kept faith with the value of ideas without ever seeing domains of knowledge or creativity as hegemonic, walled-off or sealed.  In a world gripped by wilful irrationality and endemic injustice this may seem quaint, but quaintness can be greatly underrated when it manifests as a radical determination to make hope possible.  Knowing what you think, speaking out for what you believe in as an act of good conscience, projecting wisdom on to a crazy world, discharging the duties of the elected office you hold as amalgam of procedural and moral obligations should be valorised and celebrated, not condemned. As Séamus Heaney observed in the context of bearing witness, there can be no innocent bystanders.  We are fortunate to have a President in whom we can be proud, not just a gentleman and a scholar, but an artist too. Someone who stands, fearlessly and without shame, for a set of coherent principles, more radical than novel, more challenging than comforting … and not the flotsam of perfunctory values floating on a sea of performative virtue.  Ladies and gentlemen, it is for all of these reasons that Michael D.Higgins is, truly, a most deserving recipient of the John B. Keane Lifetime Achievement Award for Services to Arts & Culture. 

University of Galway School of Law is proud to announce its outstanding representation as a finalist in several prestigious categories at the Dye & Durham Irish Law Awards 2024. The School has been shortlisted for the coveted 'Law School of the Year' category, a testament to the collective efforts and achievements of staff and students over the past year. In addition to the school-wide nomination, University of Galway School of Law has also seen a remarkable number of its students nominated for individual awards. Five students—Katie Cunningham, Diarmuid Kilgallen, Fiachra McInerney, Tom O'Connor, and Eric Ehigie—have been nominated for the 'Law Student of the Year' award, making University of Galway the institution with the most nominations in this category. Three esteemed members of our academic staff—Deirdre Callanan, Dr Conor Hanly, and Dr Brian Tobin—have been selected as finalists for 'Legal Educator of the Year.' Dr Andrew Forde has also been nominated for 'Law Book of the Year' for his book 'European Human Rights Grey Zones: The Council of Europe and Areas of Conflict'. University of Galway School of Law extends its congratulations to all its nominees. We now look forward to the awards ceremony, scheduled to take place in Dublin on Friday, 14th June, 2024. More information: https://irishlawawards.ie/2024/05/2024-finalists-announced/

Clare Imbusch, a 3rd-year Law (BCL) and Human Rights student at University of Galway, has created an educational video-clip in Irish about EU citizenship as part of the Case4EU project by KU Leuven. Currently studying in Belgium on an Erasmus year, Clare is working with the project to promote the importance of EU citizenship and encourage secondary school students to understand and engage with European values. The video-clip, "Saoránach AE, an bhfuil sé tábhachtach?" provides a clear understanding of the EU's role in our lives, emphasising the benefits, rights, and obligations of EU membership. Clare also contributed an explanatory note in Irish to accompany the video, providing further insights into the project's aims and purpose. The project seeks to foster meaningful discussions around the European Union in secondary schools and beyond, especially with the upcoming European elections. The President of the Court of Justice of the European Union, Professor Koen Lenaerts, has validated the content of the educational materials, ensuring their accuracy and importance. The project is supported by the Lenaerts-Grimonprez Fund and the European Commission.

University of Galway Irish Centre for Human Rights will host a public event titled ‘Advocating for Justice and Freedom for Palestine’ with Shawan Jabarin, the Director-General of Al-Haq, a leading Palestinian human rights organisation based in Ramallah and one of the oldest human rights organisations in the Middle East. Shawan is a graduate of the LLM in International Human Rights at the Irish Centre for Human Rights and is the 2024 Alumni Award Winner for Law, Public Policy and Society - Sponsored by RDJ.  Date and Time: Friday 10th May at 1pm Location: AC201, Concourse at University of Galway. No registration is required.  Biography: Shawan Jabarin is a Palestinian human rights defender, General Director of the Palestinian human rights organisation Al-Haq, and a member of Human Rights Watch Middle East Advisory Board. He was Amnesty International's first Palestinian Prisoner of Conscience, and he has worked for years promoting human rights in the face of Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories. From 2005 to 2009, Shawan was a member of the Board of Directors of Défense for Children International - Palestine, the national section of the Geneva-based Défense for Children International, and was elected vice president of the International Federation for Human Rights in May 2013. He is the recipient of many honours and awards for his human rights advocacy work, and leadership of Al-Haq.    

University of Galway's School of Law and the Irish Centre for Human Rights are proud to announce that Tom O’Connor, a final-year Law (BCL) and Human Rights student, achieved remarkable success at the recent National Student Media Awards. O'Connor, who has been an active voice on the university’s radio station FlirtFM, was recognised for his outstanding contributions to student media. O'Connor's show, 'Panoramica', which explores critical global issues, has been a staple of FlirtFM programming since 2020. His compelling documentary on Uganda clinched the 'Documentary of the Year' award, demonstrating his ability to engage with complex topics in a thoughtful and provocative manner. This year's accolades bring his total to five SMEDIAs, with previous recognitions including last year's 'Podcast of the Year' for a piece on Kevin Boyle, a former head of the School of Law and co-founder of the Irish Centre for Human Rights. The celebrated student shared the spotlight with his uncle Conor McMahon and RTÉ newsreader Sharon Tobin, as he received the awards for Radio Journalist of the Year, Radio Documentary of the Year, and Radio Production of the Year in News & Current Affairs. These achievements underscore his versatile skills in both the creation and production of influential media content.

University of Galway's School of Law is proud to announce that Sachin Yadav, a PhD Scholar at the School of Law, has contributed a chapter to the recently published book, "Disability: A Journey from Welfare to Rights." His chapter, "Sports for Disabled and Inclusive Sports," sheds light on the transformative power of sports in the realm of disability rights and inclusivity. This contribution is a testament to Sachin's unwavering dedication to the field of law and his commitment to advocating for social justice and inclusivity. The book, edited by Prof. (Dr.) V. K. Ahuja and Dr. Neha, is published by Satyam Law International and is an important addition to the literature and jurisprudence surrounding disability rights. We encourage our community to support this remarkable work and gain insights into the intersection of law, sports, and disability rights. The book is available for purchase here. For a closer look at Sachin’s professional journey and achievements, please visit his profile on our website.

University of Galway School of Law, Ireland, and Symbiosis Law School of Pune, India, have renewed their existing partnership at a signing ceremony held at Symbiosis’s campus on 12th April 2024. The Dean of University of Galway School of Law, Professor Martin Hogg, visited Symbiosis Law School for a ceremony to sign a renewed memorandum of understanding, which commits the two institutions to work together to develop mutual teaching and research opportunities. Dean Hogg was welcomed by the Director of Symbiosis Law School, Professor Shashikala Gurpur, and her colleagues, joining him in signing the new memorandum of understanding. Dean Hogg also met with Symbiosis Law School faculty members to discuss potential research collaborations and with Symbiosis students to discuss opportunities for them to pursue Master’s and doctoral studies at University of Galway. Both law schools are well-matched, being highly ranked institutions: University of Galway is ranked in the QS World University Rankings as a top 150 law school, and Symbiosis is the top-ranked private law school in India. Speaking of the renewed partnership, Professor Gurpur said, “The synergy of SIU and University of Galway and the past collaborations in faculty and student mobility are institutionalised with this MOU. SIU’s pioneer role in global and EU Legal Studies and all-round internationalisation of legal education, get new booster hereby. We look forward to joint research, publications, collaborative online learning and exchange of best practices to strengthen our global competencies further.” Dean Hogg added: “I am very excited and honoured to have visited Symbiosis Law School to mark the renewal of our strong and fruitful partnership. Ireland is the leading common law jurisdiction in the European Union and India one of the most prominent common law jurisdictions of the world, and our renewed commitment to work together builds upon the strong foundations of our legal jurisdictions and the excellence of our faculty members and students. I am looking forward to welcoming Symbiosis graduates to University of Galway and to the mutual learning experiences which such visits will afford.”

University of Galway's School of Law is thrilled to announce new subsidy opportunities for our range of cutting-edge Law micro-credentials. The subsidies funded by the HEA have been awarded to the MicroCreds Project as part of the HCI Pillar 3 Micro-Credential Course Learner Subsidy. These subsidies aim to make our specialised courses in Law and Analytics, Lawyering, Technology and Innovation, and Ethics and Law for Artificial Intelligence more accessible to a broader range of aspiring legal professionals. Law and Analytics: 25 places available with a 50% subsidy on course fees. Lawyering, Technology and Innovation: 25 places available with a 50% subsidy on course fees. Ethics and Law for Artificial Intelligence: 25 places available with an 80% subsidy on course fees. Start date September 2024 These subsidies are available on a first-come, first-served basis, ensuring prompt applications are essential. Detailed terms and conditions for subsidy eligibility can be found here. Course Details and Applications: Applications for these micro-credentials are now open. Prospective students can find more information, including course details and application instructions, at the following links:  Law and Analytics (Online) Start Date September 2024 Lawyering, Technology, and Innovation (Blended Learning Online and In-Person) Start Date January 2025 Ethics and Law for Artificial Intelligence (Online) Start Date January 2025

Watch Dr Ciara Smyth's remarkable contribution to RTÉ's Upfront With Katie Hannon show, where she discussed the questions surrounding the plans for Government-owned accommodation centres. https://www.rte.ie/player/series/upfront-with-katie-hannon/10001371-00-0000?epguid=IH10003116-24-0011

Grace O’Brien, a final year student in the BCL (Criminology and Criminal Justice) degree programme, has interviewed for and been offered a prestigious internship with the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.  She is assigned to Judge O. Rogeriee Thompson, who was appointed to the federal appellate bench by President Barack Obama in 2010 and assumed senior status on the court in 2022. Ms O’Brien obtained the internship through the summer exchange programme between the School of Law and Suffolk University Law School in Boston, Massachusetts, which is directed in Galway by Larry Donnelly and Dr Conor Hanly and by Professor Sara Dillon in Boston.  Dozens of students have obtained invaluable legal and cross-cultural experience on both sides on the Atlantic since the programme was founded.  The partnership agreement between the two law schools also includes a popular annual summer school on the campus of the University of Galway. Ms O’Brien is the first student in the history of the exchange programme to be awarded an internship at the federal appellate level.  This June and July, she will divide her time between Judge Thompson’s offices in Boston and Providence, Rhode Island.  The School of Law extends hearty congratulations to her on this extraordinary achievement and wishes her the very best with this tremendous opportunity. More details about the Suffolk Law Programme can be found at: https://www.universityofgalway.ie/business-public-policy-law/school-of-law/students/careeropportunities/internships/suffolk/

University of Galway's School of Law is delighted to announce that Dr Conor Hanly, a respected lecturer in law, has been appointed to the board of Cuan, Ireland's new Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Agency. Dr. Hanly, whose research primarily focuses on criminal law with a particular emphasis on sexual and domestic violence, will serve on the board for a three-year term. This prestigious appointment reflects Dr Hanly's deep commitment to addressing critical issues in sexual and domestic violence, aligning closely with the objectives of Cuan. The agency is the statutory agency under the remit of the Department of Justice dedicated to tackling and reducing domestic, sexual and gender-based violence.

Update: Please note that both events on Wednesday 27th and Thursday 28th March have been cancelled.We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience. Professor Alejandro del Valle Gálvez and Dr Inmaculada González García, from the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence 'Immigration and Human Rights at Europe's External Borders' at the University of Cádiz, Spain, will visit the ICHR on an academic visit. Their 'Geopolitics in the Strait of Gibraltar Region' talk will take place on Wednesday 27 March, from 1-2 PM in the ICHR Seminar Room. Their 'Migrations and European Values in the Strait of Gibraltar Region' talk will take place on Thursday 28 March, from 1-2 PM in the ICHR Seminar Room.

The School of Law is delighted to announce that our colleague Dr Brian Tobin has been promoted to Associate Professor/Senior Lecturer. Dr Tobin lectures in Family and Child Law and Equity I, and has previously received the CBPPL Award for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (2023), the Dean's Award for Inclusive Teaching  (2021), and last year he was 1 of 9 national Finalists for Legal Educator of the Year at the Dye and Durham Irish Law Awards 2023. In 2023, Dr Tobin's first book, The Legal Recognition of Same-Sex Relationships: Emerging Families in Ireland and Beyond (Oxford: Hart, 2023) was launched at University of Galway by Mr Justice Gerard Hogan of the Supreme Court of Ireland, who described it as 'scholarship at its finest in terms of avant garde family law'. Dr Tobin has also published chapters in edited collections and numerous peer-reviewed articles in the leading academic journals in his field, and he has received funding for research and scholarly activity from, among others, the Department of Justice (Ireland), the Royal Irish Academy, and the Society of Legal Scholars. Dr Tobin has been invited to appear before parliamentary committees in Dublin and London, and he represented Ireland at the U.K. regional consultation on the Verona Principles, a set of international guidelines for the protection of the rights of children born through surrogacy. Dr Tobin’s work has been cited in reports published by parliamentary committees/law reform bodies in Ireland, the U.K. and New Zealand, and he has contributed, as the national expert for Ireland, to an impact assessment for a proposed EU Digital Certificate of Parenthood. Dr Tobin is a frequent media contributor, having written numerous ‘Op-Ed’ articles for the Irish Examiner, Irish Times, and the Business Post. He has been quoted in national and international newspaper articles and he has appeared on national and local radio shows as well as national and international TV programmes. Dr Tobin spent the academic year 2018-2019 as a Visiting Researcher at the Dickson Poon School of Law, King’s College London. In 2023, He was elected a member of the EDI Committee of the Society of Legal Scholars. At University of Galway School of Law, Dr Tobin has previously acted as the Deputy Head of the School of Law, the Director of Student Career Development, and he is currently the Programme Director for the Bachelor of Civil Law (BCL). Dr Tobin is also currently a member of the University of Galway’s Research Ethics Committee.

Professor Ray Murphy from our Irish Centre for Human Rights and Programme Director of our , featured on Al Jazeera News last week regarding Ireland's reaction and stance to war on Gaza.  

Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic O'Gorman, T.D., is to address a University of Galway event on the upcoming referendums on the family and care.  The event - The Constitutional Referendums on 8th March 2024: A Discussion with Minister Roderic O’Gorman - takes place in the IT Building, IT250, on Tuesday February 20th and is open to the public.  Next month, Irish citizens who are registered to vote will have the opportunity to vote in two constitutional referendums.   The first referendum concerns the concept of family in the Constitution, and if passed would broaden the definition of family beyond marriage.   The second Referendum proposes to delete an existing part of the Constitution and insert new text providing recognition for care provided by family members to each other, and to remove the reference to duties in the home of a mother.  Dr Brian Tobin, School of Law, will provide a critical response to the Minister's address and an audience Q&A will also take place.  Speaking ahead of the event, Dr Brian Tobin, said: “I am delighted that Minister O'Gorman can join us at University of Galway to take part in this informative and insightful event for our students, staff and the public. Minister O'Gorman will emphasise the importance of the referendum proposals to attendees, but they will also be exposed to my own critique of the proposals, and then have the opportunity to engage with the Minister themselves in what I hope will be a lively audience Q&A session.”  Ends

Congratulations to the School of Law's Adam Carton, Courtney Heal-Powell, and Tommy Earls, who secured third place in the Irish Tax Institute's Fantasy Budget competition 2024.  This competition challenges University students to put themselves in the shoes of a Minister for Finance, critically assessing key measures from the Budget and proposing their own budgetary measures.  The students received their awards from the Institute's President, Tom Reynolds, during a ceremony held last Wednesday in Dublin.  Adam, Courtney, and Tommy, accompanied by their lecturer Dr Charles O'Mahony, met the competition judges at the Institute's offices at Grand Canal Dock. This lunchtime event celebrated the winning teams' achievements and presented them with their well-deserved prizes. The students received additional support from Professor Emer Mulligan and Mary Cosgrove, from the School of Business and Economics at the University of Galway. The judges were impressed with Adam, Courtney, and Tommy’s submission which considered the new Mortgage Interest Tax Credit, they analysed the effectiveness of changes to the Employment Investment Incentive Scheme, and looked at the R&D tax credit changes in relation to attracting foreign direct investment.  In their role as the Minister of Finance, the team address the housing crisis with a grant for private builders or persons commencing construction on their principal private residence. Their hope is that it will offer first-time buyers another option and have a knock-on effect on rent levels.  Congratulations also to the other winning teams from Trinity College Dublin and Dublin City University. 

Dr Ciara Smyth, Programme Director of our was recently in the media discussing the facts and misinformation of international protection applicants. Click on the links below to listen to the interviews.  RTÉ Radio 1 RTÉ Upfront with Katie Hannon Before joining University of Galway Ciara worked for a number of non-governmental and intergovernmental organisations in Ireland and abroad, including the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

Join our inaugural event of the Crime, Punishment and Rights Research Cluster’s film series, in conjunction with Pálás Cinema. Date and Time: Wednesday 31st January at 6.30pm  Location: Pálás Cinema  Movie: In the Name of the Father The movie depicts the events surrounding one of the biggest miscarriages of justice in British history, the false conviction and imprisonment of the Guildford Four following an IRA bombing. The themes evoked by the movie remain relevant today – the use of interrogation techniques in police interviewing, false confessions, conditions of imprisonment, and the right to truth and redress for both the victims of the bombings and the miscarriage of justice. Purchase Tickets: Click here to purchase a ticket. Students can avail of reduced priced tickets for €5 by signing up for the loyalty scheme (free of charge).

University of Galway School of Law and BARBRI have formed a partnership arrangement which will give our law students discounted access to BARBRI training for the New York State Bar Exam and the Solicitors Qualifying Exam for England and Wales. Students registering for BARBRI’s training course for either of these exams will be entitled to a discount of 20% off the published price. In addition to these guaranteed discounts on BARBRI training, BARBRI will also be offering our law students access to a number of online training events throughout the academic year, on topics such as SQE taster sessions, SQE and US Bar information sessions, and employability skills sessions.  BARBRI have online resources that you can use to learn more about the SQE, the US bar and legal careers more generally. See their student landing page for some English law-related resources, such as ‘SQE Edge’, a bank of 100 taster SQE MCQs, as well as ‘SQE Head Start’, a platform with various legal careers resources. You can also read about the US bar exam here. Upcoming start dates for BARBRI training courses are as follows: SQE1 July 40-week starting late September/early October SQE1 July 20-week starting mid-February SQE1 July 10-week starting late April/Early May SQE1 January 40-week starting early April SQE1 January 20-week starting late August SQE1 January 10-week starting late October Extended US bar prep July 6-month starting February Extended US bar prep July 10-month starting September Extended US bar prep February 6-month starting September Extended US bar prep February 10-month starting April Commenting on the new partnership, Dean of University of Galway School of Law, Professor Martin Hogg, said: “This new partnership is an exciting one for the Law School, as it will ensure that Galway Law students have access to the expert training provided by BARBRI, which is a world leader in training for the SQE and NY Bar exams. As a number of our law graduates seek to enter the legal profession in England and Wales and in New York each year, they will now benefit directly from discounted training for professional bar exams as well as legal skills training during their time as students. This is great news for our students and we’re looking forward to working closely with BARBRI over the coming years to ensure that those students who choose to do so will have the best chance of following a successful career path in England & Wales or in the USA.

Dr Brian Tobin who lectures in Family and Child Law recently launched a new book titled ''The Legal Recognition of Same-Sex Relationships: Emerging Families in Ireland and Beyond'. The book was launched at an on-campus event with special guest Mr Justice Gerard Hogan of the Irish Supreme Court, who described the book as 'scholarship at its finest in terms of avant garde family law'. This book analyses the key issues affecting same-sex families in Ireland and beyond today: marriage; formalised and non-formalised same-sex relationships outside of marriage; parental rights for same-sex couples with donor-conceived or surrogate-born children; and the protections afforded to same-sex families under European human rights law.  Find out more  

Professor Ray Murphy from University of Galway's Irish Centre for Human Rights, and former Irish UN peacekeeper who was based in South Lebanon discusses the Israel-Palestine conflict in media interviews. To listen to the interviews click on the links below: Today with Claire Byrne The Pat Kenny Show Ireland AM (see clip at 11.57)

This summer I had the privilege to participate in the Los Angeles Federal District Court 2023 Summer Externship Program, organised by the Irish American Bar Association. Each year the program consists of one student from each of the six participating Irish Law Schools and I was delighted to be the student selected from University of Galway School of Law. The program consisted of eight weeks in the Los Angeles Federal District Court working in the Judge’s chambers and two weeks in the Superior Court. In Federal Court, I spent four weeks with one Judge and then switched to another Judge where I spent another four weeks. During my time in Federal Court, I assisted the law clerks in conducting legal research where I got to work on interesting cases, for example cases involving high profile celebrities. I had the opportunity to prepare legal memorandums which involved reading the facts of the case and making an informed decision on whether the case should be dismissed or not, which ultimately the Judge would decide. I got the opportunity to observe sentencing hearings and see first-hand how a Judge will decide the case. After each hearing, I had the opportunity to speak to the Judge and see why/how he reached his decision, which was always very fascinating and thought-provoking. During my time in Superior Court, I got to observe all different kinds of trials such as family, complex, labour and criminal (including murder trials). One trial involved a medical malpractice case, where we got to see how the attorneys selected a jury. I soon realised how important, and at times very tedious this job is. I also visited the family court, where children up to the age of eighteen had their hearings. This court was much different to a regular court, which reminded me of a children’s hospital. There were teddy bears in each courtroom, children’s art on the wall, and also a playroom for kids to be taken to while they are waiting. It was emotional hearing cases of children who suffered abuse in their childhood and moved from one foster family to another. The Judges and attorneys in this court do an incredible job in making sure the main focus is the child and giving them the chance to thrive and have the best life possible. The other externs and I made the most of being in California for the summer, as none of us had ever been in California before. We visited San Diego, Malibu, Oxnard, San Francisco, Santa Monica, and Venice Beach. We got to go to a Dodgers game, Getty Museum, hike to the Hollywood sign, go to the Griffith observatory, Santa Anita Racetrack, Hollywood bowl, Delmar racetrack and much more. One of the highlights of this summer for me was going surfing with Judge Crowley every Sunday. Overall, this tremendous opportunity allowed my fellow externs and I to gain a unique insight into the U.S legal system and learn from highly experienced judges. The contacts, friendships, and connections you make are unforgettable. Isobel McAllenLaw and Business Graduate, Class of 2023  

University of Galway School of Law is proud to be a member of the Law Schools Global League and as part of this membership one student from the School is offered the opportunity to attend the annual LSGL Summer School. The LSGL Summer School offers students a cutting-edge learning experience in exploring the challenges of the legal profession in an increasingly globalised world. The courses are co-taught by professors from member institutions. This year’s 11th LSGL Summer School took place in King’s College London in July and Róisín McGrath, Law (BCL) and Human Rights student at University of Galway School of Law was selected to attend. Róisín, said: “I had the opportunity to attend the wonderful LSGL Summer School in London this summer. The quality of teaching was second to none and I feel extremely grateful to have learnt so much from both the lecturers and the other students, as well as having made friends for life. Having made connections and learned about the legal education systems and professions in jurisdictions all over the world, I feel very lucky to call myself Irish and to attend University of Galway. Staying in the centre of London and getting to attend class in the beautiful Dickson Poon School of Law was truly an amazing experience and all the staff in King's College London, particularly Caitlin who herself did a semester of study abroad in the University of Galway (UCG at the time), could not have been more helpful and hospitable. Thank you to University of Galway School of Law for promoting and sponsoring this opportunity, I have no doubt that it will greatly benefit my legal studies next year and well into the future and hopefully I will be able to share the wonderful insights that I got from the experience with my classmates in University of Galway." Learn more about LSGL Summer School

Data science is increasingly important, and teaching it to students outside of traditional disciplines is valuable. Dr Rónán Kennedy and Dr Abigail Rekas of University of Galway School of Law are working on 3G4P: Towards a Göttingen-Groning-Galway Perspective on the digital revolution, involving colleagues in those institutions as part of the ENLIGHT project. With the digital revolution, data science is becoming an increasingly important tool in developing responses to various challenges. However, its successful application often hinges of the ability of data scientists and experts from various fields to work hand in hand. Students in many  disciplines often struggle with statistical approaches themselves, while STEM/statistics students can lack skills for symbiotic teamwork with diverse partners. This project will tackle this problem by developing open educational resources (OER) on the basis of H5P (an open source content collaboration framework) which will enable cross-disciplinary learning  – by considering  policy responses to three key challenges – to climate change, workplace stress, and access to justice – through the eyes of three disciplines – statistics, psychology and law. The course materials thus developed will be opened under a CC BY 4.0 licence and used in a pilot course for three years entailing roughly 30 students per university. 

One funded PhD position is available to work on a doctoral thesis in the area of the Regulation of Legal Analytics. The successful applicant will work under the supervision of Dr Rónán Kennedy and Dr Abigail Rekas, School of Law.   It is open to a candidate to define their own PhD topic, but representative research questions could include:   What are the strengths and weaknesses of analytics techniques as applied to law? What approaches to regulation of (new) legal services are adopted in different jurisdictions worldwide, and to what extent are these focused on protecting consumers or on vested interests? Are legal analytics an economic activity which should be regulated by the European Union, as part of the common market, and if so, to what degree of harmonisation and with what level of competence retained by the Member States?  What are the implications of data protection and privacy laws, which are developing rapidly in many jurisdictions worldwide, for legal analytics? How can the governance of legal analytics foster better access to justice? Please consult this document for further guidance: Regulation of Legal Analytics   Entry criteria Essential: A minimum 2:1 Honours (or equivalent grade) UG and/or PG Degree in law or a related discipline (philosophy, social science etc). In exceptional circumstances a 2.2 would be considered where the candidate had significant practical or lived experience in the field. Desirable: A 1st Class Honours (or equivalent grade) UG and/or PG Degree in law or a related discipline (philosophy, social science etc). Funding: The scholarship is funded for a maximum of 4 years. It will cover full fees for the successful candidate, in addition to a stipend of €18,500 per annum. Nevertheless, the successful candidate will be expected to apply for Irish Research Council (IRC) and University of Galway scholarships in the first year of their degree.  Application Interested candidates should complete this Proposal Form‌, and submit a CV and an academic writing sample (e.g. article, course essay, dissertation) by 5pm, 21st August 2023 to ronan.m.kennedy@universityofgalway.ie and/or abigail.rekas@universityofgalway.ie. Informal inquiries can be sent to the same addresses. Candidates may be invited to interview.

Displacement, internally or across borders, and statelessness heighten risks of trafficking in persons, a UN expert said today, urging States to prevent trafficking and ensure effective protection of victims.    “Limiting access to asylum and other forms of international protection is likely to increase the risks of trafficking in persons, by forcing people into risky, precarious situations,” said the UN Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children, Professor Siobhán Mullally, in a report presented to the Human Right Council today.    Professor Mullally was particularly concerned about the adoption of legislation and policy by States to prevent trafficking in persons, which fail to comply with international law.    “The increasing use of accelerated refugee status determination procedures, transfer of refugee status determination procedures to third countries, and the phenomenon of ‘push-backs’ following interceptions at sea or land borders, undermine States’ ability to comply with their obligations to identify, assist and protect victims of trafficking, and to respect the principle of non-refoulement,” Professor Mullally said.    She recalled that States have obligations to identify and protect victims of trafficking or persons at risk of trafficking also in the context of interceptions at sea, and in the context of duties to rescue persons in distress at sea.   “Expanding safe, regular migration opportunities, and providing resettlement opportunities and other complementary pathways for the admission of persons with international protection needs, as well as effective access to asylum and international protection, are essential to prevent trafficking and ensure protection of victims,” she said.    Professor Mullally noted that States hosting the highest numbers of refugees and internally displaced persons have limited capacity to assist and protect trafficked persons or to prevent trafficking: “Where the rights of refugees to freedom of movement, to decent work and to access education or training are limited, the risks of exploitation increase.   “Stateless persons are exposed to increased risks of trafficking linked to their precarious legal status as persons deprived of their right to a nationality, and consequential violations resulting from limited access to civil documentation, education, employment, social protection, and restrictions on freedom of movement.”    Professor Mullally also raised the risks of trafficking faced by unaccompanied and separated children: “I am concerned that adolescent refugee children are often not given equal protection by States. States have an obligation to respect and ensure the rights of all children without discrimination.”    The full report is available here.   Ends

Every year, the Law School offers tutorials to our Undergraduate and LL.B. students in a range of law subjects. Applications are invited for tutoring positions in the following subjects:  Administrative Law Company Law Contract Law Constitutional Law Criminal Law Equity European Union Law Evidence Family & Child Law Land Law Mooting Understanding the Law * * Understanding the Law is a first-year module that combines the Irish Legal System and Legal Methods and Research modules. It is skills-based, with a strong emphasis on legal writing. It is taught for the first four weeks of Semester I. Applications from students who have already taken this module, or who have been CÉIM leaders, will be particularly welcome. All modules, with the exception of Understanding the Law and Mooting, are taught in both Semester 1 and 2. Understanding the Law and Mooting are taught in Semester 1 only. The academic calendar for 2023-24 is: Semester 1 Monday 4th September – Friday 24th November, 2023 (Tutorials start on week 5 for 8 weeks) Semester 2 Monday 8th January – Friday 28th March, 2024 First years: Semester 1 TBC Semester 2 TBC If you are interested in tutoring in the academic year 2023/24, please submit a short (1 page max) cover letter and one-page CV to Tara Elwood, School of Law, University of Galway (tara.elwood@universityofgalway.ie) by Friday 30th June 2023, indicating your preferred subject area(s). Please also provide contact details for one referee. The School of Law anticipates that interviews will be held virtually from Wednesday 5th July 2023.

We are delighted to welcome Professor Roja Fazaeli, to the Irish Centre for Human Rights, School of Law. Professor Fazaeli will take up the post of Established Professor of Law and Islamic Studies, commencing July 1 2023, and leading the ERC Consolidator award: BILQIS: Building Conceptual and Methodological Expertise for the Study of Gender, Agency and Authority in Islam. Professor Fazaeli is currently Professor In Islamic Civilisation, Near & Middle Eastern Studies, Trinity College Dublin.  She is the recipient of numerous honours and awards, including winner of Trinity Research Excellence Award for 2020 in the category 'Cherish academic freedom, diversity of scholarship, and pursuit of truth'. She is a Global Affiliate of the Vulnerability and the Human Condition project, Emory University, School of Law, USA. Professor Fazaeli has always combined engagement with public policy and human rights advocacy with her academic scholarship and teaching. She is currently the Chairperson of the Immigrant Council of Ireland, and is a member of the Board of Frontline Defenders and of Scholars at Risk, Europe. Professor Fazaeli has published extensively on Religion and Human Rights, Islam and Human Rights, Islamic Feminisms and Gender and Human Rights. Professor Fazaeli is also PI of the European Commission funded project: Preaching Hate: A Contextual Discourse Analysis of Charismatic Socio-Religious Speech. Professor Fazaeli gained her BA and MPhil. from Trinity College Dublin and PhD in International Human Rights Law from the University of Galway, where she was also the recipient of an Irish Research Council Government of Ireland PhD scholarship. Professor Fazaeli is a former member of the Board of Directors of Azadi Andisheh (Association for Freedom of Thought) and of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Religions and Human Rights.   Prior to commencing her academic career, Professor Fazaeli, worked for Amnesty International, Irish Section and a number of other Non-Governmental Organisations, and served on the executive boards of the Irish Refugee Council and UNIFEM Ireland.

Mr. Tom O'Malley, Associate Professor of Law at the University of Galway, Senior Counsel and member of the Inner Bar of Ireland, gave the 2023 Annual Distinguished Lecture in Law on Thursday 11th May. The title of the lecture was “From practical wisdom to guidelines: The future of sentencing and regulation in Ireland”. You can watch the lecture on YouTube and view photographs from Martina Regan Photography on Flickr or further down the page below. Tom's full lecture can be downloaded in PDF format: Annual Distinguished Lecture 2023. The lecture was covered in The Irish Times (subscriber only) and Tom was interviewed on RTÉ Radio 1’s The Claire Byrne Show. This was our 11th Annual Distinguished Lecture. Previous speakers include: Professor Christopher McCrudden of Oxford University, Judge John T. Noonan of the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, Professor Neil Walker of Edinburgh University, Baroness Brenda Hale of the UK Supreme Court with Mrs. Justice Catherine McGuinness of the Irish Supreme Court, Mr. Justice Nial Fennelly of the Irish Supreme Court, Sir Declan Morgan, the Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland, Judge Síofra O’Leary of the European Court of Human Rights, Justice Leona Theron of the Constitutional Court of South Africa and the Hon. Mr. Justice Gerard Hogan, Advocate General of the European Court of Justice.

One funded PhD position is available to work on a doctoral thesis in the area of Disability Law. The successful applicant will work under the supervision of Dr Shivaun Quinlivan and Dr Charles O'Mahony, School of Law.   It is open to a candidate to define their own PhD topic, but it should fit, broadly within the parameters of research in relation to the CRPD and Disability Rights more generally, with a particular focus on: Constitutional law and disability rights The CRPD with particular reference to any of the following rights, employment education, mental health, legal capacity, law reform EU Disability Law & Policy Disability, discrimination & employment Disability and the criminal justice system Entry criteria Essential: A minimum 2:1 Honours (or equivalent grade) UG and/or PG Degree in law or a related discipline (philosophy, social science etc). In exceptional circumstances a 2.2 would be considered where the candidate had significant practical or lived experience in the field. Desirable: A 1st Class Honours (or equivalent grade) UG and/or PG Degree in law or a related discipline (philosophy, social science etc). Funding: The scholarship is funded for a maximum of 4 years. It will cover full fees for the successful candidate, in addition to a stipend of €18,500 per annum. Nevertheless, the successful candidate will be expected to apply for Irish Research Council (IRC) and University of Galway scholarships in the first year of their degree.  Application Interested candidates should complete this Proposal Form‌, and submit a CV and an academic writing sample (e.g. article, course essay, dissertation) by 5pm, 28th July 2023 to  shivaun.quinlivan@universityofgalway.ie and/or charles.omahony@universityofgalway.ie. Informal inquiries can be sent to the same addresses. Candidates may be invited to interview.

University of Galway has secured two additional Athena SWAN Bronze Awards in recognition of the University’s commitment to advancing gender equality for staff and students. The University’s School of Law and a joint award between the School of Computer Science and the Data Science Institute have received the accolade which acknowledges efforts to create cultural change within higher education institutions. This latest accreditations sees a total of ten Bronze Awards and one Silver Award in the University, along with an Institutional Bronze Award which was renewed in 2021. Eleven out of the University’s 18 schools now hold Athena SWAN Awards. University of Galway Vice-President for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Helen Maher, said: “I am delighted with the positive news of the successful Athena Swan Bronze applications for our School of Law, School of Computer Science and Data Science Institute. I very much appreciate the significant work undertaken by staff members to advance gender equality as evidenced by these new awards. In addition, I am mindful of the necessity of supporting and enabling leadership for equality at every level within our University, as a critical factor in transforming the gendered nature of inequality in higher education.” Professor Martin Hogg, Head of the School of Law, said: “The School of Law is delighted to be the recipient of an Athena Swan Bronze Award. The Award recognises the commitment we have made as a School to advance gender equality in a range of ways, and we intend to make an early start on the work needed to achieve this. The award represents the next step of an important journey for us, one which we embark upon with renewed confidence. The School owes a huge debt of gratitude to our Self-Assessment Team for the time and effort they put into securing this award, and I should like to thank them for all their hard work.” The Athena Swan Charter is a framework which is used across the globe to support and transform gender equality within higher education and research.  

We are delighted to announce that Dr Maeve O’Rourke, Assistant Professor at the Irish Centre for Human Rights, School of Law, has today been appointed to the Young Academy of Ireland, established by the Royal Irish Academy. This prestigious appointment reflects Dr O’Rourke’s standing as an internationally renowned scholar, teacher and legal practitioner, and her leadership in human rights law research and public policy engagement, through initiatives such as the award winning Human Rights Law LLM clinic at University of Galway, the CLANN project and the Justice for Magdalenes Research campaign. The YAI consists of forty members from Ireland and Northern Ireland, who were selected after a competitive recruitment process launched by the Royal Irish Academy in 2022. The successful candidates include researchers, academics, scientists, innovators, clinicians, economists, and professionals who have each made a significant contribution to their field and beyond their individual disciplines. Speaking about her appointment, Dr O’Rourke said: ‘I am thrilled to be included in this first group of Young Academy scholars. I can’t wait to meet the other members and to work with them over the next four years to propose new approaches to pressing national and international problems.’

Mr. Tom O'Malley, Associate Professor of Law at the University of Galway, Senior Counsel and member of the Inner Bar of Ireland, will give the 2023 Annual Distinguished Lecture in Law at 6pm on Thursday 11th May. The title of the lecture is “From practical wisdom to guidelines: The future of sentencing and regulation in Ireland”.  *** Register now on EventBrite at https://bit.ly/LawADL2023 ***  This will be our 11th Annual Distinguished Lecture. Previous speakers include: Professor Christopher McCrudden of Oxford University, Judge John T. Noonan of the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, Professor Neil Walker of Edinburgh University, Baroness Brenda Hale of the UK Supreme Court with Mrs. Justice Catherine McGuinness of the Irish Supreme Court, Mr. Justice Nial Fennelly of the Irish Supreme Court, Sir Declan Morgan, the Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland, Judge Síofra O’Leary of the European Court of Human Rights, Justice Leona Theron of the Constitutional Court of South Africa and the Hon. Mr. Justice Gerard Hogan, Advocate General of the European Court of Justice.

Congratulations to Dr Maeve O'Rourke, Irish Centre for Human Rights, who received a special merit award at the Durham and Dye - Irish Law Awards on 28 October. The award was in recognition for her work with survivors of Magdalene Laundries. Read more about her work on her staff profile.

The University of Galway has climbed in the latest Times Higher Education World University Rankings for 2023. We are now in the 301-350 category, up from the 351-400 category last year. The School of Law has risen to the 101-125 band in the per subject rankings for law, placing us alongside Trinity College Dublin as the joint highest rated Law Schools in Ireland.

On Friday 21 April 2023, the Irish Centre for Human Rights in the School of Law at the University of Galway will host a one-day conference exploring the Irish Civil War 1922-23 within the framework of the laws of war and against the backdrop of developments concerning international regulation of internal conflicts. The laws of war were frequently invoked during the Irish Civil War 1922-23, often in the condemnation of the execution of prisoners or other reprisal measures, notwithstanding that contemporary international law was not considered formally applicable to internal conflicts at that time. Nascent attempts were being made at the international level to expand the scope of the laws of war, with the Tenth International Conference of the Red Cross in 1921 adopting a resolution urging a greater role for humanitarian organisations during civil wars, as well as a call for political prisoners to be afforded treatment similar to that of prisoners of war in such conflicts. The conference will explore legal, political and judicial debates concerning the application of the laws of war during the Civil War and the role of various individuals, groups and organisations in this context. Topics covered will include the question of prisoner of war status for captured anti-Treaty forces, the relevance of the doctrine of reprisals in wartime, and the role of the International Committee of the Red Cross during the Irish Civil War. Those interested in presenting a paper should send a proposed title, a 400 word abstract and a short bio to Professor Shane Darcy (shane.darcy@universityofgalway.ie) by 15 December 2022.

The School of Law held a successful conference on ‘Oversight of National Security: Lessons from Australia and the United Kingdom’ on Friday 23rd September. The event, which was opened by the Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee, TD, was held to coincide with the publication of new legislation to establish an office of Independent Examiner of National Security Legislation, something that was recommended by the Commission on the Future of Policing in 2018. Current and previous holders of similar oversight offices in Australia, United Kingdom and Northern Ireland  (Grant Donaldson SC, Lord David Anderson KBE KC and Professor Marie Breen-Smyth) addressed the conference along with other experts drawn from the fields of academia, human rights and security (Dr Jessie Blackbourn, Michael O’Neill and Dermot Woods). Professor Donncha O’Connell of University of Galway School of Law organised the conference and was a member of the Commission. The conference was also livestreamed on Zoom so that people can participate remotely. A video recording of the event will be uploaded shortly. The conference proceedings were reported in the media by the Irish Times and the Irish Examiner. Pictured above (L to R) are: Conference organiser and chair, Professor Donncha O’Connell of the School of Law, Dr Jessie Blackbourn, Durham University, Lord David Anderson KBE KC, former UK Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation, Professor Marie Breen-Smyth, Independent Reviewer – Justice & Security for Northern Ireland, Dermot Woods, Director of the National Security Analysis Centre, Department of An Taoiseach and Michael O’Neill, Head of Legal, Irish Human Rights & Equality Commission

Book Discussion on '9/11 and the Rise of Global Anti-Terrorism Law: How the UN Security Council Rules the World' (CUP 2021) About this event Twenty years after the outbreak of the threat posed by international jihadist terrorism, which triggered the need for democracies to balance fundamental rights and security needs, 9/11 and the Rise of Global Anti-Terrorism Law offers an overview of counter-terrorism and of the interplay among the main actors involved in the field since 2001. This book aims to give a picture of the complex and evolving interaction between the international, regional and domestic levels in framing counter-terrorism law and policies. Targeting scholars, researchers and students of international, comparative and constitutional law, it is a valuable resource to understand the theoretical and practical issues arising from the interaction of several levels in counter-terrorism measures. It also provides an in-depth analysis of the role of the United Nations Security Council. Participants in the book will discuss their contributions and the volume overall: Prof. Arianna Vedaschi (Bocconi University),  Prof. Martin Scheinin (EUI and Oxford University, former UN Rapporteur on Counter-Terrorism),  Prof. Fionnuala Ní Aoláin (University of Minnesota and Queens University of Belfast, current UN Special Rapporteur on Counter-Terrorism),  Dr. Chiara Graziani (Bocconi University)  Prof. Daniel Alati, (McEwan University) ** Register for this free event on Eventbrite. **  ‘Since 9/11, the UN Security Council has become a global counter-terrorism legislator and actor. This impressive collection provides much needed analysis and critique of how the emergency intervention of the Security Council two decades ago has become normalized. It examines the Security Council’s significant and surprising impact on domestic laws and practices targeting terrorism financing, pre-crime, listing, internet censorship and intelligence co-operation.’ Kent Roach - author of The 9/11 Effect and Comparative Counter-Terrorism Law

AI can enable healthcare systems to offer better care to more people. However, only wise policy choices will assure its positive impact. How can governmental and other authorities better support the development of high-quality AI for diagnosis and clinical decision making? Do we have the systems in place to make the meaningful changes needed for doctors and hospital administrators to take genuine advantage of the potential of AI? What are the challenges they face? Frank Pasquale, Professor of Law at Brooklyn Law School and former Chair of the Subcommittee on Privacy, Confidentiality, and Security of the U.S. National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics, will address these issues in a wide-ranging talk on critical issues in liability, licensing, and reimbursement facing doctors, researchers, and entrepreneurs.   Invited Inspioráid is a series of public lectures hosted and chaired by the Dean of the College of Business, Public Policy and Law, Professor Geraint Howells.   For more information and to register, click here.

The School of Law at the University of Galway and Dr Connie Healy invite you to a lecture entitled; “The work of Ireland’s Commercial Court: increasing international features” being delivered by Mr Justice David Barniville, President of the High Court, at the Aula Maxima, University of Galway at 6pm, on Tuesday the 27th September. CPD points will be available for this event. Register at https://lnkd.in/dCs3zMJZ

Sligo students at the University’s School of Law named Terence O’Malley DLA Piper Scholars Two NUI Galway law students from Sligo have been awarded special scholarships created in partnership between the global law firm DLA Piper and the University’s School of Law. Annie Forde, from Enniscrone, Co Sligo, and Joan Ighile, from Sligo Town have been named the Terence O’Malley DLA Piper Scholars for the academic year 2021/2022. Both students are undertaking the undergrad degree Law (BCL), Criminology and Criminal Justice, at NUI Galway’s School of Law. The Terence O’Malley DLA Piper Scholarship is named after the Chairman Emeritus of the law firm who has family roots in the west of Ireland. It provides funding and support to enable and empower successful students to study a law degree at NUI Galway and is awarded in-part on academic merit. Maura Dineen, Partner at DLA Piper, met with the scholars on campus and shared interesting insights into her fascinating career advising domestic and international clients on tax matters. Ms Dineen said: “We are proud to partner with NUI Galway’s School of Law to support deserving students like Annie and Joan, as they pursue their studies in law. It was a pleasure to visit the campus, talk to the students about their experience and hear the positive impact the Terence O’Malley DLA Piper scholarship has had on their studies so far. We wish all of the students the very best in their studies and look forward to seeing what innovative thinking they contribute to the industry in the future.” Professor Martin Hogg, Head of the School of Law at NUI Galway, said: “We are delighted to have the continued support by DLA Piper of two more students under this scholarship programme. The educational opportunities which these scholarships afford are highly valued by the School and by the scholars and we’re very grateful to DLA Piper for this investment in two lawyers of the future.” The scholarship supports scholars throughout their four-year law degree to the value of €2,500 annually (total value of €10,000 per scholar). It is open to first year students who are enrolled in one of NUI Galway’s five full law degrees and have a home address in the west of Ireland (to include all counties in Connacht plus counties Donegal and Clare).  Annie Forde said: “Studying Law at NUI Galway has been a highly enjoyable experience and I am grateful that DLA Piper are able to support me in my academic endeavours. This scholarship has had a positive impact on my life and I hope that in my future legal career that I can make a positive change in people’s lives.” Joan Ighile said: “This scholarship has given me the opportunity to thoroughly enjoy my study of Law at NUI Galway with lessened financial stress. It has been a great support to me, and I’d like to thank DLA Piper for their great generosity in continuing to support Irish students pursuing a career in Law." The Scholarship was launched in 2020 at NUI Galway following Terence O’Malley’s retirement from a highly-regarded legal career, serving in various roles including as DLA Piper's US Managing Partner, US Co-Chairman, and Global Co-Chief executive officer. The inaugural scholars were Ava Cullinan, Law (BCL) student from Kilrush, Co Clare and Emily Donnellan, Law (BCL), Criminology and Criminal Justice student from Maree, Co Galway. In addition to the scholarship, a separate annual Terence O’Malley DLA Piper bursary is awarded to a NUI Galway Law student achieving the highest grade in the University’s Law and Innovation module.  DLA Piper is a global law firm with lawyers located in more than 40 countries throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific. DLA Piper established in Ireland in 2019 with offices in Dublin.  DLA Piper clients range from multinational, Global 1000, and Fortune 500 enterprises to emerging companies developing industry-leading technologies. For full details about this scholarship, including terms and conditions, visit: www.nuigalway.ie/dlapiperscholarship   Ends

Dr Ioanna Tourkochoriti organised on June 7th a Workshop on Anti-Discrimination Law and Religion in Collaboration with Professors Mark Graber and Peter Danchin from the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law. The workshop’s texts will be published as a Handbook on Anti-Discrimination Law and Religion by Oxford University Press in the coming years. The workshop featured presentations by the following scholars: Colm O’Cinneide, Professor of Human Rights Law, University College London, Peter Danchin, Jacob A. France Professor of Law and Associate Dean for Research & Faculty Development, University of Maryland School of Law, Mark A. Graber, University System of Maryland Regents Professor, University of Maryland School of Law, Patricia Jeronimo, Professor University of Minho Law School, Jean Monnet Fellow, European University Institute, Anton Kok, Professor, University of Pretoria, Christopher McCrudden, Professor of Human Rights and Equality Law, Queens University Belfast, Mathias Möschel, Associate Professor, Central European University, Ioanna Tourkochoriti, Lecturer Above the Bar, School of Law, National University of Ireland, Galway, John Adenitire, Strategic Lecturer in Law, Queen Mary University of London. Dr Ioanna Tourkochoriti also organised at the Universirty of Maryland with Professors Graber and Danchin a twin workshop on the same topic featuring: Stuart Adams, President, Utah Senate and Senator for the Utah State Senate’s 22nd District, Benjamin Berger, Professor and York Research Chair in Pluralism and Public Law, Osgoode Hall Law School, Kera Birkeland, Representative, Utah House District 53, Louis Blond, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Religious Studies, University of Cape Town , Caroline Corbin, Professor of Law and Dean’s Distinguished Scholar, University of Miami School of Law, Peter Danchin, Jacob A. France Professor of Law and Associate Dean for Research & Faculty Development, University of Maryland School of Law, Perry Dane, Professor of Law, Rutgers Law School, Mohammad Fadel, Professor and Toronto Research Chair for the Law and Economics of Islamic Law, University of Toronto Faculty of Law, Mark A. Graber, University System of Maryland Regents Professor, University of Maryland School of Law, Tarunabh Khaitan, Professor of Public Law and Legal Theory and Head of Research in the Bonavero Institute of Human Rights, University of Oxford, Andrew Koppelman, John Paul Stevens Professor of Law, Professor (by courtesy) of Political Science, Northwestern University, Ioanna Tourkochoriti, Lecturer Above the Bar, School of Law, National University of Ireland, Galway, Robin Fretwell Wilson, Mildred Van Voorhis Jones Chair in Law, University of Illinois College of Law and Director of the Institute of Government and Public Affairs for the University of Illinois System, Michel Rosenfeld, University Professor of Law and Comparative Democracy and Justice Sydney L. Robins Professor of Human Rights, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Heather Miller Rubens, Executive Director and Roman Catholic Scholar at the Institute for Islamic, Christian, and Jewish Studies (ICJS), Amy J. Sepinwall, Associate Professor of Legal Studies & Business Ethics, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, Winnifred Fallers Sullivan, Provost Professor, Religious Studies, Affiliate Professor of Law, Maurer School of Law and Co-Director, Center for Religion and the Human, Department of Religious Studies, Indiana University Bloomington, Marley Weiss, Professor of Law, University of Maryland School of Law.