At its meeting today, the Government nominated seven persons for appointment by the President to the Circuit Court and five persons for appointment by the President to the District Court.
Those nominated for appointment to the Circuit are as follows: Sarah Berkeley, BL; Pauline Codd, BL; Barry Hickson, SC; Keenan Johnson, Solicitor, Mary Ellen Ring, SC; Judge David Riordan (Judge of the District Court); Carmel Stewart, SC.
Those nominated for appointment to the District Court are as follows: Alan J. Mitchell, Solicitor; Eugene O' Kelly, Solicitor; Marie Quirke, Solicitor; Kevin Staunton, Solicitor and Michael Walsh, Solicitor.
These appointments arise mainly from judicial retirements between September 2011 and February 2012 as well as the death last summer of His Hon Judge Con Murphy and the promotion to the High Court in October last of His Hon Judge Michael White.
The Government also made the following permanent assignments to the Circuit Court: Sarah Berkeley, BL; Mary Ellen Ring, SC; and Carmel Stewart SC; were assigned to the Dublin Circuit and Judge David Riordan was assigned to the Cork Circuit. Pauline Codd, BL; Barry Hickson, SC and Keenan Johnson, Solicitor will serve as unassigned judges of the Circuit Court.
Three further nominations to the District Court will be made by the Government following permanent assignments to District Court Districts in the coming weeks.
The Government has taken the necessary steps to formally advise President Higgins of the nominations in accordance with constitutional procedure.
Ends
Government Press Office
press.office@taoiseach.gov.ie
Ph: 01 6194098
Note for Editors
The appointments follow receipt of lists of suitable candidates from the Judicial Appointments Advisory Board.
Section 17 of the Courts and Court Officers Act 1995 provides that where the Government proposes to advise the President to appoint to judicial office a person who is...a judge of the District Court....the provisions of section 16 of that Act (which relate to the provision by the Judicial Appointments Advisory Board of a list of suitable nominees) shall not apply.
Circuit Court nominees
Biographical Details for Ms Sarah Berkeley, B.L.
Born: 1969
Educated at University College Dublin and Kings Inns
Called to the Bar: 1992
Vice Chairperson of the Employment Appeals Tribunal 1996 - 2003
Mixed practice at the Bar including civil litigation and family law.
Biographical Details for Ms Pauline Codd, B.L.
Born 1966
Educated at Trinity College Dublin (BA Hons) and the Kings Inns
Called to the Bar: 1992
Chair Garda Disciplinary Tribunal since 2009
Mixed practice at the Bar including civil and criminal litigation with an emphasis on employment law.
Biographical details for Mr Barry Hickson, S.C.
Born: 1947
Educated: Institute of Industrial Engineers, University College Dublin and Kings Inns
Called to the Bar: 1978
Called to the Inner Bar: 2004
Vice Chairperson of the Employment Appeals Tribunal
Chair Garda Disciplinary Tribunal
Mixed practice at the Bar including family and criminal law and personal injury litigation.
Biographical Details for Mr Keenan Johnson, Solicitor
Born: 1958
Educated: Incorporated Law Society of Ireland
Arbitrator since 1994, mediator since 2009
Member of the Registrars Committee of the Law Society 1994 - 1998
Mentor on the Law Society's mentor programme 2011 to date
Mixed practice including family and criminal law and civil litigation.
Biographical details for Ms. Mary Ellen Ring, S.C.
Born: 1955
Educated: UCD, DIT and the Kings Inns
Called to the Bar: 1985
Called to the Inner Bar: 2002
Member of the National Crime Council 1999 - 2005
Founding member of the Children's Legal Centre
Founding member of the Irish Association for the Study of Delinquency
Chairperson the Irish Women Lawyers Association 2008
Mixed practice at the Bar including family and criminal law and civil litigation.
Biographical details for Judge David Riordan
Born: 1952
Educated University College Cork (BA), (Ph.D); Kings Inns; Trinity College Dublin (M.Sc.)
Called to the Bar: 1977
Admitted as a Solicitor: 1984
Appointed as a Judge of the District Court: 1995
Member of the District Court Rules Committee and the editorial board of the Judicial Studies Institute Journal.
Biographical Details for Ms Carmel Stewart, S.C.
Born: 1957
Educated: University College Galway (BA; BCL) and Kings Inns
Called to the Bar 1987
Inner Bar 2008
Vice Chairperson of the Employment Appeals Tribunal 1993 - 1997
Former Director and Board member of Free Legal Advice Centres (FLAC).
Member of Mountjoy Visiting Committee 1996-1999
Member and former Chairperson of the Family Lawyer's Association.
Mixed practice at the Bar including family law, mental health and wardship law.
District Court Nominees
Biographical Details for Alan J. Mitchell, Solicitor
Born: 1964
Educated: University College Dublin (BCL), Incorporated Law Society of Ireland
Principal Alan Mitchell & Co Solicitors
Member of Longford County Council 1999 to date
Practice includes criminal and family law and civil and personal injury litigation.
Biographical Details for Eugene O' Kelly, Solicitor
Born: 1964
Educated: University College Dublin, University College Galway (B.A.; LL.B), Incorporated Law Society, University College London
Member of Kilrush Chamber of Commerce
President of the Clare Law Association 1990
Mixed practice including criminal and family law and civil litigation
Solicitor to the Commission of Investigation into the death of Gary Douch.
Biographical Details for Marie Quirke, Solicitor
Born: 1964
Educated: Incorporated Law Society of Ireland
Member of Regulation Committee of the Law Society
Managing Solicitor, Finglas Law Centre
Practice mainly in family law
Member of Society of St. Vincent de Paul
Tutor, Incorporated Law Society 1988 - 2007.
Biographical Details for Kevin Staunton, Solicitor
Born: 1961
Educated: University of East London (L.LB Hons), Kings Inns
Civil Servant 1980 - 1995
Called to the Bar of England and Wales: 1993
Called to the Bar: 1995
Mixed practice includes family law, criminal law and personal injury litigation
Runs voluntary legal advice clinic for the Citizen's Information Centre.
Biographical Details for Michael Walsh, Solicitor
Born: 1955
Educated: Incorporated Law Society
Principal Walsh Warren & Co Solicitors
Secondary school teacher 1976 - 1978
Practice includes criminal and family law and civil and commercial litigation.