Paul McDermott (born 1959) is an Irish judge who currently serves as a Judge of the High Court.

Early life

McDermott attended

University College Dublin University College Dublin (commonly referred to as UCD) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile, Baile Átha Cliath) is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland ...

and the

King's Inns The Honorable Society of King's Inns ( ir, Cumann Onórach Óstaí an Rí) is the "Inn of Court" for the Bar of Ireland. Established in 1541, King's Inns is Ireland's oldest school of law and one of Ireland's significant historical environment ...

Legal career

He became a barrister in 1980 and subsequently became a senior counsel in 1999. His practice was primarily focused on criminal law. He was counsel for the Morris Tribunal, which addressed allegations against the Garda Síochána. He received €3.2 million in fees, which was the highest amount paid to any of the tribunal's lawyers. He is the author of legal texts on the Misuse of Drugs Act and the law of prisons in Ireland.

Judicial career

McDermott was appointed to the High Court in June 2012. He has presided over cases affecting several areas of law, including

judicial review Judicial review is a process under which executive, legislative and administrative actions are subject to review by the judiciary. A court with authority for judicial review may invalidate laws, acts and governmental actions that are incom ...

, company law,

personal injuries ''Personal Injuries'' is a novel by Scott Turow which was published in 1999. Like all of Turow's novels (bar his autobiographies), it takes place in fictional Kindle County and many of the characters are recognized from other Turow novels. Plot ...

extradition Extradition is an action wherein one jurisdiction delivers a person accused or convicted of committing a crime in another jurisdiction, over to the other's law enforcement. It is a cooperative law enforcement procedure between the two jurisd ...

medical negligence Medical malpractice is a legal cause of action that occurs when a medical or health care professional, through a negligent act or omission, deviates from standards in their profession, thereby causing injury or death to a patient. The neglige ...

, and

homicide Homicide occurs when a person kills another person. A homicide requires only a volitional act or omission that causes the death of another, and thus a homicide may result from accidental, reckless, or negligent acts even if there is no inten ...

trials. He was the presiding judge in the trial surrounding the murder of Ana Kriégel. As of 2021, he is the judge in charge of several High Court lists including the Central Criminal Court, Special Criminal Court, Extradition, Criminal Assets Bureau and Bail lists.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McDermott, Paul Living people High Court judges (Ireland) Alumni of University College Dublin 1959 births Irish barristers Alumni of King's Inns