Tony O'Connor (judge)
Tony O'Connor is an Irish lawyer who has been a Judge of the High Court since October 2015. He began his legal career as a commercial solicitor, before becoming a barrister in 1991. Early life. O'Connor comes from a legal family, with his father and grandfather having run a firm of solicitors in Swinford, County Mayo. His three brothers are all lawyers; his brother Pat is a partner in the family firm, John is a Judge of the Circuit Court and Tom is a consultant at Maples Group. He attended Glenstal Abbey School, leaving in 1977. He  was educated at University College Dublin, Trinity College Dublin, the Law Society of Ireland and the King's Inns. Legal career. He first worked as solicitor, qualifying in November 1983. He qualified at and worked for Arthur Cox Solicitors. He was later a legal adviser in Aer Lingus and a solicitor at Rory O'Donnell & Co. Solicitors. His expertise was in competition law and mergers and acquisitions. He authored a text on competition law in 1996. O'Connor was admitted to the Bar of Ireland in 1991 and became a senior counsel in 2006. He had experience across civil, commercial and EU  law. He has also acted in cases involving constitutional law and personal injuries. He appeared for the State against Ali Charaf Damache and acted for Irish Nationwide Building Society. O'Connor also acted in maritime and fishing cases such as Gannon. He became an accredited mediator in 2009. He has been the chair of the Aviation Appeals Panel and Mental Health Tribunals. From 2007, he acted as legal assessor for hearings of the Medical Council, Nursing Board, Dental Council and Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland. He also wrote about assisted human reproduction. O'Connor was a council member of Concern Worldwide. He gave  evidence to Seanad Éireann in 2013 regarding the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act 2013. Judicial career. O'Connor was appointed to the High Court in October 2015. He has heard cases involving tax law, extradition, insolvency, injunctions, defamation, personal injuries, and commercial disputes. In 2018, he found for Graham Dwyer, the man convicted of the murder of Elaine O'Hara, ruling that the legislation relied on to secure his conviction was contrary to EU law. The decision was appealed to the Supreme Court of Ireland, which in turn made a reference to the European Court of Justice. He is a member  of the board of the Courts Service. In July 2020, he was appointed as a member of a three-judge tribunal into the CervicalCheck cancer scandal with chairperson Ann Power and retired judge Brian McGovern. O'Connor continued hearing cases in the High Court during his time on the tribunal.