Paul McDermott (born 1959
) is an Irish judge who has served as a Judge of the
High Court since June 2012.
Early life
McDermott attended
University College Dublin
University College Dublin (), commonly referred to as UCD, is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland. With 38,417 students, it is Ireland's largest ...
and the
King's Inns
The Honorable Society of King's Inns () 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 environments.
The Benchers of King's Inns aw ...
.
Legal career
He became a
barrister
A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdiction (area), jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include arguing cases in courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, jurisprud ...
in 1980 and subsequently became a senior counsel in 1999.
His practice was primarily focused on
criminal law
Criminal law is the body of law that relates to crime. It proscribes conduct perceived as threatening, harmful, or otherwise endangering to the property, health, safety, and Well-being, welfare of people inclusive of one's self. Most criminal l ...
.
He was counsel for the
Morris Tribunal, which addressed allegations against the
Garda Síochána
(; meaning "the Guardian(s) of the Peace") is the national police and security service of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is more commonly referred to as the Gardaí (; "Guardians") or "the Guards". The service is headed by the Garda Commissio ...
. 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 a government's executive, legislative, or administrative actions are subject to review by the judiciary. In a judicial review, a court may invalidate laws, acts, or governmental actions that are in ...
, company law,
personal injuries,
extradition
In an extradition, one Jurisdiction (area), jurisdiction delivers a person Suspect, accused or Conviction, convicted of committing a crime in another jurisdiction, into the custody of the other's law enforcement. It is a cooperative law enforc ...
,
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 negligen ...
, and
homicide
Homicide is an act in which a person causes the death of another person. A homicide requires only a Volition (psychology), volitional act, or an omission, that causes the death of another, and thus a homicide may result from Accident, accidenta ...
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