Activist Lawyer

Episode 66: Honza Cervenka

In this week's episode, our host, Sarah, is joined by solicitor of England & Wales and a California attorney, Honza Cervenka from law firm McAllister Olivarius.

Episode 65: Ciarán Mulholland

Sarah speaks with solicitor Ciarán Mulholland from Mulholland Law about his extensive work on criminal justice matters. Ciarán discusses the criminal legal aid scheme in Ireland as well as challenges around policing, accessing justice and some interesting and extremely relevant cases he and his team are working on.  
*TW – some cases mentioned in this podcast explore themes of violence which some listeners might find upsetting.
 
If you would like to find out more about the work and cases Ciarán discusses, you will see a list of articles below: 
 
TACA – Extradition since Brexit;
 
https://www.politico.eu/article/ireland-poland-extradition-case-referred-to-europe-top-court-ecj/
 
https://www.irishlegal.com/articles/european-court-to-rule-in-november-on-post-brexit-extradition-requests
 
https://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/supreme-court-agrees-to-hear-alleged-dissident-republicans-appeal-against-extradition-1424491.html
 
https://www.irishtimes.com/crime-law/courts/2023/10/03/seven-judge-supreme-court-hears-appeal-by-alleged-dissident-republican-against-extradition-to-uk/
 
 
Threats to Lawyers from Far-Right;
 
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-66424582
 
https://www.irishtimes.com/crime-law/2023/07/31/solicitor-representing-bereaved-mother-in-case-against-gemma-odoherty-increases-security-after-alleged-threats/
 
 
Dangerous Dog Act Constitutionality;
 
https://www.rte.ie/news/2022/0620/1305964-dog-attack/
 
 
McGlinchey Murders & ROI Legacy Litigation;
 
https://www.lmfm.ie/news/lmfm-news/louth-coroner-to-hand-over-documents-about-dominic-mad-dog-mcglinchey-inquest/
 
https://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/billy-king-rat-wright-identified-30117958
 
https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/mcglinchey-family-want-answers-over-mothers-missing-murder-file/42359872.html                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
 
https://www.irishnews.com/news/northernirelandnews/2023/02/03/news/irish_government_urged_to_improve_legacy_after_concerns_raised_over_approach_over_dominic_mcglinchey_murder-3036054/
 
https://www.derrynow.com/news/derry-news/1258159/family-of-dominic-and-mary-mcglinchey-in-brussels-to-meet-with-european-parliament.html
 
 
Garda issues;
 
https://www.irishtimes.com/crime-law/courts/2023/10/07/garda-who-drunkenly-assaulted-and-racially-abused-taxi-driver-sued-in-high-court/
 
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/judge-dismisses-case-against-man-stopped-at-covid-checkpoint-at-start-of-pandemic-1.4781691
 
https://www.noteworthy.ie/watching-the-watchdog-gsoc-investigation-6054964-May2023/
 
https://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/gardai-involved-in-standoff-with-central-mental-hospital-staff-due-to-capacity-issues-1100276.html
 
https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/crime/anti-gay-preaching-row-solicitor-accuses-garda-of-bogus-prosecution-after-judge-dismisses-all-charges-against-northern-ireland-trio-3743745
 

Episode 64: Richard Port MBE

Sarah is joined by solicitor Richard Port MBE who works in family law as a partner with George Green Solicitors in the West Midlands.  Richard specialises in domestic abuse cases and provides us with an excellent insight into his work and achievements in this complex and difficult area of law.
 
*TW: Please note that we discuss instances of domestic violence and abuse in this episode which can be distressing for some listeners.  Please note the resources below if you or anyone you know would like to seek support:
 
UK:
Refuge https://www.nationaldahelpline.org.uk/
Women’s Aid https://www.womensaid.org.uk/
Respect https://mensadviceline.org.uk/
National Domestic Abuse Helpline https://www.nationaldahelpline.org.uk/
 
NI:
Women’s Aid https://www.womensaidni.org/
Domestic and Sexual Abuse Helpline https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/contacts/24-hour-domestic-and-sexual-abuse-helpline
Nexus https://nexusni.org/helpline/
 
Ireland:
Women’s Aid https://www.womensaid.ie/
Men’s Aid https://www.mensaid.ie/
EU https://www.coe.int/en/web/istanbul-convention/help-lines

Episode 63: Siobhán Conlon

Sarah meets Dublin based solicitor Siobhán Conlon who is a human rights lawyer specialising in criminal defence and immigration.  Siobhán discusses the challenges currently facing her immigration clients including homelessness and difficulties around family reunification for refugees.

Episode 62: Aonghus Kelly

Sarah is joined by lawyer Aonghus Kelly who talks about his new role as senior adviser on prosecution of international crimes with the European Union Advisory Mission (EUAM) where he is based in Kyiv, Ukraine. Aonghus is no stranger to the podcast and provides listeners with excellent advice on working in the sphere of international law. 

Episode 61: Gavin Booth

In this week's episode, Sarah meets with solicitor Gavin Booth from Phoenix Law to discuss his views on the ongoing attacks on lawyers working on human rights cases.  

Episode 60: Christopher Stanley

Sarah is joined by lawyer Christopher Stanley who is a litigation consultant with the law firm KRW Law.  Christopher is a widely published legal contributor and talks to Sarah about his legal journey from academic, barrister, NGO caseworker to legal consultant.  Aspects of Christopher’s work discussed includes immigration, Northern Ireland legacy cases and historic abuse.   
 
Please click on links below or check our blog for more of Christopher’s publications. 
1974 pub bombings: unanswered questions | Feature | Law Gazette
“I AM NOT NUMBER 54". By Christopher Stanley. - Village Magazine
Lessons from the Birmingham Pub Bombing inquest - Legal (legalvoice.org.uk)
I reject your apology. I cannot forgive you - Village Magazine

Episode 59: Maria McCloskey and Hilary Perry

This episode of Activist Lawyer features Maria McCloskey and Hilary Perry from the PILS Project – Northern Ireland’s dedicated hub for public interest litigation.  Together with our host Sarah Henry, Maria and Hilary discuss membership, the aims of the organisation, current examples of strategic litigation and the importance of pro-bono work.
 
You can find out more about PILS project at www.pilsni.org
 

Episode 58: Welcome back

Welcome back to the Activist Lawyer podcast! We had a short break to get ready for our next series! Our host, Sarah Henry, will take listeners through season highlights and will touch on what we have coming up for you over the next few months.  Please share and review our podcast and let us know if you have any written pieces for our blog, feedback or suggestions.  You can contact us on info@activistlawyer.com
 
Music by AlexiAction from Pixabay

Episode 57: Mary Lawlor

It was an absolute pleasure to interview Ms Mary Lawlor, Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders.  Mary discusses her fascinating career devoted to human rights and in particular, those defending human rights around the world.  An excellent listen for anybody interested in working in human rights on an international level.  We are very grateful to Mary for sharing insights into her fundamental work supporting ordinary people doing extraordinary things.