Conor Dignam is an Irish judge and lawyer who has served as a Judge of the High Court since December 2021. He was formerly a barrister.

Conor Dignam
Judge of the High Court
Assumed office
6 December 2021
Nominated byGovernment of Ireland
Appointed byMichael D. Higgins
Personal details
NationalityIrish
Alma mater

Early life

edit

Dignam studied political science at Trinity College Dublin, graduating in 1992. He subsequently obtained a diploma in legal studies and trained to be a barrister at the King's Inns.[1]

edit

He was called to the Bar in 1996 and became a senior counsel in 2011.[1] He practiced in the area of public law, with specialisations in child and health law.[2]

The Health Service Executive appointed Dignam and Siobhán Phelan to represent interests of an unborn child in PP v. HSE in 2014.[3] He acted for the Garda Síochána, Nóirín O'Sullivan and Martin Callinan at the Disclosures Tribunal.[4]

He chaired an inquiry into the Leas Cross scandal in 2010 and was commissioned to write an investigative report arising out of the 'Grace' case.[5][6]

Outside of practice, he was appointed a board member of Community Law & Mediation in 2020 and was the vice chair of the Bar Council of Ireland.[2] He served as chair of the Bar Council's human rights committee and was a Bar Council representative on the Superior Courts Rules Committee.[7][8]

Judicial career

edit

Dignam was one of three people nominated by the government in November 2021 to be appointed judges of the High Court.[9] He was appointed on 6 December 2021.[10]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b "Appointments to the High Court". www.gov.ie. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Two new board members at CLM". www.lawsociety.ie. 20 July 2020. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  3. ^ Baker, Noel; Managh, Ray (23 December 2014). "Unborn baby gets barrister for court battle". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  4. ^ Keena, Colm. "Charleton chairman grants representation in Garda inquiry". The Irish Times. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  5. ^ "Leas Cross was not suitable for McKenna". RTÉ News. 15 October 2010. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  6. ^ Hegarty, Aoife (1 November 2016). "Dignam Report Critical of the HSE". RTÉ News. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  7. ^ Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (16 January 2019). Opening (Speech). Joint Committee on Justice and Equality debate. Oireachtas.ie. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  8. ^ "Superior Courts Rules Committee | The Courts Service of Ireland". courts.ie. Archived from the original on 4 December 2021. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  9. ^ Leahy, Pat. "Nominations of three new High Court judges to be sent to President". The Irish Times. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  10. ^ "Diary President Higgins Appoints Judges To The High Court December 2021". president.ie. Retrieved 6 December 2021.