News

Áine Hynes SC tipped for AG

Readers of the Irish Times may have seen recently that former DSBA President Áine Hynes was among a handful of names that the paper of record was mooting for the next Attorney General.

According to the Irish Times, the solicitor and Senior Counsel, Áine Hynes, is speculated among a short list of candidates being considered for appointment to the office of Attorney General.

A graduate of UCD, DIT, the Institute of Taxation and Friary Law, Áine was admitted to the roll of solicitors in 2001 and was one of the first solicitors to be granted a patent of precedence in this jurisdiction.

She has been a member of a number of the Law Society expert committees since 2007 and is a member of the Council of the Law Society. As Chair of a Division of the Society’s Regulation of Practice Committee, she chairs hearings in respect of potential breaches of regulatory requirements and executes the Division’s statutory power of referral to the High Court for various disciplinary-related orders. Áine also chairs the Mental Health Law & Capacity Taskforce which has led the Society’s response to the new assisted decision-making legislation, making extensive submissions to the Departments of Justice and Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, on necessary amendments to the new framework. A co-author of Special Needs Financial Planning: A Comparative Perspective (Cambridge University Press) and Complex Conveyancing (Bloomsbury), Áine has also written extensively across areas such as judicial review, mental health & capacity law, litigating for vulnerable adults and the Hague Convention.

She shares the role of managing partner of Dublin law firm, St. John Solicitors, where she manages a busy, specialised and dedicated team of lawyers and support staff, overseeing interactions with clients across diverse areas of law which include public & administrative, conveyancing & taxation, constitutional, employment, procurement and commercial contracts. Having acted in more than 1,000 cases before the Mental Health Tribunals and the Mental Health (Criminal Law) Review Board, Áine was appointed to the position of chair of the Mental Health Tribunals in 2019 which requires substantial knowledge of medical diagnoses and treatments, the taking and testing of evidence from patients and psychiatrists while ensuring that patients are listened to and heard.

She was appointed by then Minister of State for Mental Health Kathleen Lynch to the Expert Steering Group on the Review of the Mental Health Act and, more recently, by Minister for Justice Helen McEntee to the Civil Legal Aid Review Group which is conducting the first review in the 40 year history of the Scheme, under the chairmanship of retired Chief Justice, Mr Frank Clarke.

We at the Parchment are particularly proud of Áine as she is a much-valued member of our Editorial steering committee.

‘No Shows’ at Central Office – Cause for Concern

There are over 100 “no shows” for Central Office appointments every week. These slots simply go to waste and reduce the availability of appointments for colleagues who need them. If you or a colleague no longer need a reserved slot for any reason, please cancel the appointment so that the slot can be offered to somebody else. This is simple and helps everybody.

Lawyers Against Homelessness

Congratulations to our friends at the Bar who continue to organise CPD events in support of the Capuchin Day Centre. A stellar line up of speakers addressed the CPD lecture on the 17th November 2022 which included The Hon Mr Justice Paul Coffey, His Honour Judge John O’Connor, Judge Marie Quirke, Dr Val Corbett, Liam Reidy SC, Edward Walsh SC, The Hon Ms Justice Marguerite Bolger, the late Richard Grogan, Solicitor, Mairéad McKenna SC, Rosemary Mallon, BL, Eamonn Marray BL, Michael Gilvarry BL, Barry Lee, Solicitor and Ailbhe Kelly BL.

To date, and after their ninth CPD event at the Capuchin Day Centre, Lawyers Against Homelessness have raised over €220,000, all of which has gone direct to the Capuchin Day Centre to assist in defraying the enormous cost of running the facilities provided to the homeless through the Capuchin Day Centre.

DSBA ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2023

LONDON 15 – 17 SEPTEMBER 2023