PAUL O’HIGGINS SC has been elected chairman of the Council of the Bar of Ireland, replacing Michael Collins SC, who served for two years. He was elected unopposed by the 20-person council.
Mr O’Higgins graduated in history from UCD, qualified as a barrister and was called to the Bar in 1977. He was called to the Bar of England and Wales in 1982 and became a senior counsel in 1992.
He has practised in wide areas of the law including criminal, media, administrative law and judicial review, planning and constitutional law. He appeared in the litigation leading to the deregulation of taxi licences and represented Seán Mulligan in his challenge to the slopping-out system in Portlaoise prison where judgment was given earlier this week.
He has also acted for the last six years as chairman of the Film Classification Appeals Board.
He is well-known as a libel lawyer and acted for Proinsias De Rossa in his libel action against Independent Newspapers and for RTÉ in Beverley Cooper Flynn’s unsuccessful libel action. Mr O’Higgins also appeared in the recent case of Herrity v Associated Newspapers in relation to the constitutional right to privacy and for Monica Leech in her libel actions.