Robert Eagar is an Irish lawyer who was a judge of the High Court between October 2014 and January 2023. He was formerly a

solicitor A solicitor is a legal practitioner who traditionally deals with most of the legal matters in some jurisdictions. A person must have legally-defined qualifications, which vary from one jurisdiction to another, to be described as a solicitor and ...

with an expertise in criminal law.

Early life

Eagar was educated at University College Dublin from where he graduated with a BCL degree in 1977. He attended the

Law Society of Ireland The Law Society of Ireland ( ga, Dlí-Chumann na hÉireann) is a professional body established on 24 June 1830 and is the educational, representative and regulatory body of the solicitors' profession in Ireland. As of 2020, the Law Society had ...

and was added to the Roll of Solicitors in 1978.

Legal career

He began his career as a solicitor at the Office of the Chief State Solicitor, a constituent part of the Office of the

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

, working there until 1984. In 1982, he was involved in proceedings in the Circuit Court involving a licensing request by the owner of the Stardust nightclub. He was the prosecuting solicitor in a case against

Vinnie Doyle Vincent Doyle (1938 – 21 September 2010) was an Irish journalist noted as having served as editor of the ''Irish Independent'' for 24 years, considered a lengthy period in Irish terms. He also served as editor of the ''Evening Herald'' for sev ...

and the ''

Irish Independent The ''Irish Independent'' is an Irish daily newspaper and online publication which is owned by Independent News & Media (INM), a subsidiary of Mediahuis. The newspaper version often includes glossy magazines. Traditionally a broadsheet new ...

'' for a breach of the Official Secrets Act. He joined the law firm of

Garrett Sheehan Garrett Sheehan is a former judge of the Irish Court of Appeal from 2014 until 2017. Prior to his appointment to the Court of Appeal, he was a judge of the Irish High Court from 2007. He was educated at University College Dublin and the Law S ...

in 1984, becoming a partner in 1995. His expertise as a solicitor was in criminal law, extradition, asylum law, human rights law and child law. He has represented an anti-war activist convicted of damage to US military property, fugitive solicitor Michael Lynn, the former company secretary of Anglo Irish Bank on trial for tax offences, and a Christian Brother accused of 110 charges of indecent assault. He has also acted as a solicitor for clients accused of murder and fraud. He has acted in cases involving judicial review in the

Supreme Court of Ireland , image = Coat of arms of Ireland.svg , imagesize = 120px , alt = , caption = Coat of Arms of Ireland , image2 = Four Courts, Dublin 2014-09-13.jpg , imagesize2 = , alt2 ...

and cases in the Court of Criminal Appeal. In 2008, he called for the

Minister for Justice A Ministry of Justice is a common type of government department that serves as a justice ministry. Lists of current ministries of justice Named "Ministry" * Ministry of Justice (Abkhazia) * Ministry of Justice (Afghanistan) * Ministry of Just ...

Brian Lenihan Jnr Brian Joseph Lenihan (21 May 1959 – 10 June 2011) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as Minister for Finance from 2008 to 2011, Deputy Leader of Fianna Fáil from March 2011 to June 2011, Minister for Justice, Equality and Law ...

to fund an independent forensic laboratory. He was a member of the Law Society's Criminal Law Committee and a lecturer in criminal law. He is a former chair of the Dublin Simon Community, a founder of the Irish Refugee Council and board member of the Ranelagh Multi-Denominational School.

Judicial career

Eagar was appointed a Judge of the High Court in October 2014. He has been the presiding judge in cases involving criminal law, defamation law, equality law, medical negligence, judicial review, and refugee law. He has presided over cases in the Special Criminal Court. He was the judge in bail hearings involving Lisa Smith and those accused of the murder of Ana Kriégel and the kidnapping of Kevin Lunney. He was a designated judge to report to the Taoiseach on the operation of the Criminal Justice (Surveillance) Act 2009. He retired as judge in January 2023.

Personal life

Eagar is married to Monica and has two daughters.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eagar, Robert Living people Alumni of University College Dublin High Court judges (Ireland) 21st-century Irish judges Irish solicitors Year of birth missing (living people)