Joseph Finnegan (Irish jurist)
Encyclopedia
Joseph Gerald Finnegan (born 1 October 1942) is currently a judge of the Supreme Court of Ireland. He was previously President of the High Court. Finnegan was technically the second highest ranking judge in the Republic of Ireland whilst he was President of the High Court and was an ex-officio member of the Supreme Court that he was subsequently appointed to as a full member.
He was educated at Synge Street C.B.S. and St. Mary's College Dundalk
. He attended University College Dublin
and was awarded degrees of Bachelor of Civil Law and Bachelor of Laws. He qualified as a solicitor
in 1966. He was Assistant Secretary of the Incorporated Law Society of Ireland from 1968 to 1973. He was called to the Bar in 1978 and became Senior Counsel in 1990. He practised mainly in general common law and chancery matters. He had a particular interest in conveyancing and title related litigation. He was appointed to the High Court in 1999 and was appointed President of the High Court in 2001, a position which he held until his appointment to the Supreme Court in December 2006.
He was a member of the Board of the Courts Service from 2001 to 2006 and sat on the Finance Committee and Remuneration Committee and was chairman of its Audit Committee. He has a keen interest in legal education and has been a member of the Education Committee of the Honorable Society of the King's Inns since 2000.
He is a Bencher of the Honorable Society of King's Inns and a Bencher of the Honorable Society of Middle Temple
He was educated at Synge Street C.B.S. and St. Mary's College Dundalk
Dundalk
Dundalk is the county town of County Louth in Ireland. It is situated where the Castletown River flows into Dundalk Bay. The town is close to the border with Northern Ireland and equi-distant from Dublin and Belfast. The town's name, which was historically written as Dundalgan, has associations...
. He attended University College Dublin
University College Dublin
University College Dublin ) - formally known as University College Dublin - National University of Ireland, Dublin is the Republic of Ireland's largest, and Ireland's second largest, university, with over 1,300 faculty and 17,000 students...
and was awarded degrees of Bachelor of Civil Law and Bachelor of Laws. He qualified as a solicitor
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
in 1966. He was Assistant Secretary of the Incorporated Law Society of Ireland from 1968 to 1973. He was called to the Bar in 1978 and became Senior Counsel in 1990. He practised mainly in general common law and chancery matters. He had a particular interest in conveyancing and title related litigation. He was appointed to the High Court in 1999 and was appointed President of the High Court in 2001, a position which he held until his appointment to the Supreme Court in December 2006.
He was a member of the Board of the Courts Service from 2001 to 2006 and sat on the Finance Committee and Remuneration Committee and was chairman of its Audit Committee. He has a keen interest in legal education and has been a member of the Education Committee of the Honorable Society of the King's Inns since 2000.
He is a Bencher of the Honorable Society of King's Inns and a Bencher of the Honorable Society of Middle Temple