Michael Twomey (judge)

The Hon. Mr. Justice
Michael Twomey
Judge of the High Court
Incumbent
Assumed office
26 January 2016
Nominated byGovernment of Ireland
Appointed byMichael D. Higgins
Personal details
NationalityIrish
Alma mater

Michael Twomey is an Irish judge and lawyer who has served as a Judge of the High Court since January 2016. He was previously a solicitor with an expertise in partnership law.

Education

Twomey went to school in County Waterford.[1] He was educated at University College Cork where he obtained a BCL degree in 1987 and obtained an LL.M. degree in 1988.[2] His master's degree was in family law.[1]

He obtained a PhD from University College Dublin in 2001 with a thesis on "The law relating to partnership in Ireland".[2]

He qualified as a solicitor in 1990 in a commercial law firm in Dublin.[3] After qualification, he worked for the European Commission to advise on intellectual property law. He then returned to Dublin to study and lecture.[1]

He set up his own practice advising principally on partnership law.[1] The firm was based in Ballsbridge, and among his clients were accountancy and law firms and an Irish rock band.[4][5] He also advised on chancery law and commercial law.[3]

He is an accredited mediator.[3] He is a Bencher of the King's Inns since 2016.[6]

He was written two editions of a book on partnership.[7] He has been a visiting researcher at Harvard Law School. He has lectured in Trinity College Dublin and the Law Society of Ireland.[3]

Judicial career

Twomey was appointed to the High Court in January 2016.[8] He is a member of the Commercial Court.[6] He has heard cases involving insolvency law,[9] judicial review,[10] company law,[11] medical law,[12] family law,[13] and personal injuries.[14] He is critical of high awards of damages in compensation cases.[15][16]

He has been the presiding judge in disputes between the solicitor Gerald Kean and EBS d.a.c., Garrett Kelleher and the National Asset Management Agency, the Quinn family and Irish Bank Resolution Corporation,[17] and an action arising out of schemes by Bernie Madoff.[18][19][20]

In 2017, he temporarily sat as a Judge of the Court of Appeal.[21] He was the judicial assessor for ruling on nominations for the 2018 Irish presidential election.[22]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "6 steps to a job as a High Court judge". www.lawsociety.ie. Archived from the original on 5 July 2020. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Appointments to High Court for two alumni". Facebook. UCD School of Law. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d "Appointment of President of the High Court and Judges to the High Court, Circuit Court and District Courts". merrionstreet.ie. Archived from the original on 2 February 2018. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  4. ^ "Partnership Law CONTACT DETAILS". Partnership Law. Archived from the original on 13 April 2010. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  5. ^ "Partnership Law THE AUTHOR". Partnership Law. Archived from the original on 13 April 2010. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  6. ^ a b "Judges of the Commercial Court". Courts.ie. Archived from the original on 27 May 2020. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  7. ^ Twomey, Michael (31 January 2019). Twomey on Partnership (Second ed.). Bloomsbury Professional. ISBN 9781526504852.
  8. ^ "Diary President Appoints Miriam Oregan And Michael Twomey As High Court Judges". president.ie. Archived from the original on 4 July 2020. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  9. ^ Managh, Ray. "Examiner appointed to LJM Ireland Ltd". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 23 June 2016. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  10. ^ Carolan, Mary. "Dublin private school teacher denies calling boy a 'little bitch'". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 6 October 2016. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  11. ^ O'Faolain, Aodhan. "Inspectors seized files seeking financial details about Clerys". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 2 August 2016. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  12. ^ Carolan, Mary. "Judge refused to order woman to undergo Caesarean section". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 5 August 2020. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  13. ^ Carolan, Mary. "'Flaw' in system that allows €500k legal fees for judicial separation". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  14. ^ Carolan, Mary. "'Accident prone' man faces legal bill over 'opportunistic' claim". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  15. ^ "Judge takes swipe at lawyers over refusal to settle even a single garda compensation claim". Breaking News. 5 November 2019. Archived from the original on 4 July 2020. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  16. ^ Gallagher, Conor. "Chief Justice signals cautious approach over personal injury payouts". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 15 August 2020. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  17. ^ Carolan, Mary. "Quinn children and IBRC to enter mediation over €2.34bn loans". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 7 November 2020. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  18. ^ Carolan, Mary. "Solicitor Gerald Kean must return property deeds to EBS". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  19. ^ "Court refuses disclosure to Garrett Kelleher in Nama loans case". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  20. ^ Carolan, Mary. "Ruling casts doubt on $141m case against HSBC's Irish arm". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  21. ^ "Judge withdraws from hearing Gayle Dunne appeal". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  22. ^ "Presidential Election – Ruling on Nominations". merrionstreet.ie. Archived from the original on 4 July 2020. Retrieved 4 July 2020.