E 37 The Fifth Court

Peter Leonard BL and Mark Tottenham BL ask recently retired High Court judge Deirdre Murphy why she thinks there are too many barristers in the Irish legal system, why she dislikes large law firms, why the State should adopt the model litigant role, what she thinks of the Ireland for Law concept.

She tells the terrific story where a judge delivered a 'judgement of Solomon' in a family law case which was very clever indeed.

Ms Justice Murphy was appointed to the High Court in 2014 and retired in March 2023.

She previously practised as a barrister, called to the Bar in 1979 {she did a lot of fisheries law] and became a senior counsel in 1999

To fund her studies she worked in arts administration, at the then Oscar Theatre in Sandymount, now a Sikh Temple.

There's also a discussion about three interesting cases from the Decisis.ie casebook

• a case involving the refusal of critical skills employment
• a ward of court case and whether a detention was it legitimate
• a case in the construction sector concerning a contract

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