Activist Lawyer

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.    

Episode 56: India Fahy

Sarah is joined by lawyer India Fahy who is an advocate for Integrated Education in Northern Ireland.  India talks about the importance of moving on from segregated education in Northern Ireland. 
While India shares positive news stories and fantastic campaign success,  there is a long way to go if Northern Ireland is to fulfil the aspirations of the Good Friday Agreement in terms of education.   India discusses the challenges we still face as a society, supply and demand for integrated education and the new Integrated Education Act.  
She also highlights the valuable work of grassroots community activism around this pertinent issue and how important parents, teachers and the Integrated Education Fund have been in carrying this campaign forward! 
India is a competition litigation solicitor with BCLP in London and is secretary of the London Irish Lawyers Association.
Link to the Integrated Education Fund: https://www.ief.org.uk/
Link to London Irish Lawyers Association: https://www.londonirishlawyers.co.uk/
Link to the Integrated Education Act: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/nia/2022/15/contents/enacted

Episode 55: Darren Lalor

Sarah is joined by Barrister Darren Lalor who specialises in criminal law in Dublin.  Darren talks about his unique journey into law which started in 2008 when Darren worked as a taxi driver in Dublin.
Darren will discuss the serious problems arising through the underfunded criminal legal aid system in Ireland, particularly in the District Court. Together with his colleagues across Ireland and further afield, Darren calls on everyone to support barristers on the 2nd May 2023 as they protest the abysmal legal aid rates outside courts around Ireland. 
Listen in to find out more about Darren’s work and his activism to improve legal aid funding for barristers.