Law Class Acts - UCD Connections

EMILE DALY

BCL 1992

Emile Daly BL, a former adjudicator at the Workplace Relations Commission and former Vice-Chair of the Employment Appeals Tribunal, has been nominated to the District Court by the Minister of Justice. Daly has been a practising barrister for over 30 years. After the establishment of the Judicial Appointments Commission in January, only candidates recommended by the commission can be nominated by the Government for appointment by the President.

SEÁN GUERIN

BCL 1995, LLM 1999

Seán Guerin SC was elected Chair of the Bar Council and took up his responsibilities in September 2024. Guerin was called to the Bar in 1997 and became a member of the Inner Bar when appointed Senior Counsel in 2013. Guerin practices mainly in public law, including criminal, regulatory and administrative law. He has served for many years on the Professional Practices Committee of the Bar Council and has been Chair of the Criminal State Bar Committee since 2022.

CAOILFHIONN GALLAGHER

BCL 1999

Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC was appointed a visiting fellow at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford in 2025. During her three-month fellowship at the Institute she focused on impunity for journalists’ deaths, and on creating systematic changes to secure accountability in these cases. Gallagher has been involved in many high-profile human rights cases in the UK courts, at the European Court of Human Rights, at the Privy Council and before international bodies.

PATRICK TIERNAN

BBLS 1996

Chartered accountant Patrick Tiernan has been appointed CEO by Lloyd’s. Tiernan has been part of Lloyd’s senior leadership team since 2021, when he joined as Chief of Markets, combining the roles of Performance Director and Chief Commercial Officer. A three-decade insurance industry veteran, a hallmark of Tiernan’s tenure as Chief of Markets was a focus on innovation and education through Lloyd’s Lab and Lloyd’s Academy.

GAIL SLATER

BCL 1993, LLM 1997

Gail Slater has been named US Assistant Attorney General and Head of the Antitrust Division at the US Department of Justice, which enforces laws against illegal monopolies and anti-competitive business behaviour. Slater, a former advisor to US Vice-President JD Vance, has been living in the US since 2003. She was previously general counsel at the Internet Association, a body that represented Google and Facebook.

SÍOFRA O’LEARY

BCL 1989

Dr Síofra O’Leary, the first female President of the European Court of Human Rights and the first Irish person in the role, has been awarded the UCD Ulysses Medal, the highest honour UCD can bestow. Th e award recognises O’Leary’s contribution to human rights law over an illustrious career as a legal scholar, judge, and judicial statesperson. O’Leary has joined UCD Sutherland School of Law as Adjunct Professor.

NIAMH HOWLIN

BCL 2003, PhD 2007

Niamh Howlin was awarded the Outstanding Contribution to Legal Scholarship prize at the Dublin Solicitors Bar Association Law Book Awards 2025. Associate Professor at UCD Sutherland School of Law, she received the award for Barristers in Ireland: An Evolving Profession Since 1921 and A Century of Courts: The Courts of Justice Act 1924. Howlin published A History of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions 1975- 2025 earlier this year.

EMILE DALY

SEÁN GUERIN

CAOILFHIONN GALLAGHER

PATRICK TIERNAN

GAIL SLATER

SÍOFRA O’LEARY

NIAMH HOWLIN

EMILE DALY

BCL 1992

SEÁN GUERIN

BCL 1995, LLM 1999

CAOILFHIONN GALLAGHER

BCL 1999

PATRICK TIERNAN

BBLS 1996

GAIL SLATER

BCL 1993, LLM 1997

SÍOFRA O’LEARY

BCL 1989

NIAMH HOWLIN

BCL 2003, PhD 2007

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