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.
Early life
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
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 was called to the Bar in 1996 and became a senior counsel in 2011. He practiced in the area of public law, with specialisations in child and health law.
The Health Service Executive appointed Dignam and
Siobhán Phelan
Siobhán Phelan is an Irish judge and lawyer who has served as a Judge of the High Court December 2021. She formerly practised as a barrister and was the chair of the Free Legal Advice Centres.
Early life
Phelan studied law at Trinity Colle ...
to represent interests of an unborn child in '' PP v. HSE'' in 2014. He acted for the
Garda Síochána
(; meaning "the Guardian(s) of the Peace"), more commonly referred to as the Gardaí (; "Guardians") or "the Guards", is the national police service of Ireland. The service is headed by the Garda Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Gover ...
Martin Callinan
Martin Callinan (born 25 August 1953), is an Irish former Garda, who served as Garda Commissioner from 2010 to 2014.
Callinan is a two-time graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia, qualifying in law enforcement management (1 ...
at the
Disclosures Tribunal
In 2014, material was revealed by two whistleblowers of the Garda Síochána, Maurice McCabe and John Wilson, to the Confidential Recipient. The disclosures and the handling of the disclosures, led to the resignation of Ireland's Minister for Jus ...
.
He chaired an inquiry into the
Leas Cross scandal
The Leas Cross scandal erupted in Ireland when the nursing home with this name, located near Swords in Dublin, closed several weeks after a 2005 '' Prime Time'' television report revealed sub-standard living conditions there.the 'Grace' case.
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
The Bar of Ireland ( ga, Barra na hÉireann) is the professional association of barristers for Ireland, with over 2,000 members. It is based in the Law Library, with premises in Dublin and Cork. It is governed by the General Council of the Ba ...
. He served as chair of the Bar Council's human rights committee and was a Bar Council representative on the Superior Courts Rules Committee.
Judicial career
Dignam was one of three people nominated by the government in November 2021 to be appointed judges of the High Court. He was appointed on 6 December 2021.