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 A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in superior courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching law and ...

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 prescribes conduct perceived as threatening, harmful, or otherwise endangering to the property, health, safety, and moral welfare of people inclusive of one's self. Most criminal law i ...

. He was counsel for the

Morris Tribunal The Morris Tribunal was a public inquiry to address allegations of the 1990s and early 2000s against the Garda Síochána, the national police force of Ireland. Subjects explored included suggestions of corrupt and dishonest policing in County ...

, which addressed allegations against 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 ...

. 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 incompat ...

, 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 jurisdict ...

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 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 Anastasia "Ana" Kriégel (; 18 February 2004 14 May 2018) was a Russian-Irish girl who was subject to a violent attack, murder and sexual assault in an abandoned house in May 2018 in Lucan near Dublin. Two boys, known only as Boy A and Boy B, w ...

. 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