Specialist Bar Association news

Tort & Insurance Bar Association

The inaugural Tort & Insurance Bar Association (TIBA) conference took place on May 13 in the scenic locations of Kylemore Abbey and Renvyle House Hotel in Connemara. The Association was delighted to welcome keynote speaker Prof. John H. Sheperd FRCS FRCOGR, a pioneering gynaecological oncologist with over 260 published papers to his name. Prof. Sheperd was accompanied by a stellar line-up of legal experts from across the country, including Mark Harty SC, Jeremy Maher SC, Patricia McCallum BL, Deirdre Browne BL, and Aoife Beirne BL. Unsurprisingly, the inaugural conference was extremely well received by all in attendance and the Association looks forward to many more years of success.

There was a great turn-out for the inaugural Tort & Insurance Bar Association conference at Kylemore Abbey in May.

EU Bar Association

On March 23, the EU Bar Association (EUBA) partnered with Arbitration Ireland to host a seminar on ‘ Costello vs Ireland : CETA and International Arbitration’. Panellists discussed the ratification of CETA under Article 29 of the Irish Constitution and the approach of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) to investor-state dispute settlement. The EUBA was also delighted to welcome the référendaires from the CJEU to The Bar of Ireland on May 9 for a joint event addressing some evolving trends in the practice of EU law. The visiting speakers were joined by keynote speaker Mr Justice Gerard Hogan and representatives from the Law Library for an insightful exchange of expertise.

Financial Services Bar Association

On April 18, the Financial Services Bar Association (FSBA) was honoured to host renowned US trial lawyer Pierce O’Donnell, who gave an insightful talk on the dawn of bitcoin and cryptocurrency, addressing the need for global law reform to better protect crypto owners. Pierce is a decorated litigator whose 48-year legal career boasts a multitude of high-profile cases in the areas of entertainment law, environmental cost recovery, intellectual property, and more, as well as a celebrated author of six books and over 200 articles. The FSBA was delighted to have the opportunity to meet Pierce and benefit from his wealth of experience. On May 17, the FSBA held a seminar on the Central Bank of Ireland’s gatekeeper function in relation to fitness and probity.