Catherine Donnelly

Called to Bar:
2003 (Eng./Wales); 2007 (Ire.); 2000 (NY)
Degrees:
LLB (Trinity College, Dublin), BCL (Oxon.), LLM (Harvard), D.Phil (Oxon.)
Languages:
French and Irish (working knowledge)

Practice areas: EU Law, Public Law, Human Rights, Public Procurement

Catherine successfully completed her pupillage at Blackstone Chambers in 2005.  Since then, she has been a member of Chambers’ Academic Panel; she joined Chambers as a full member in July 2008.

Catherine was admitted to the New York Bar in September 2000 and the Federal Bar of the United States of America in November 2000. From 1999-2001 she practised as a litigation attorney with leading US firm Davis Polk & Wardwell where she specialised in Administrative & Constitutional Law, Antitrust, Asylum Law, Commercial Arbitration, Constitutional Law, Fraud, Regulation and Securities law.

Professional Experience

Apr - Dec 2008

Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission

Adviser to the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission on the drafting of a new Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland.  Consultancy work due for completion on 10 December 2008, when the Commission will submit its recommendations to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

Sep 2007 - Mar 2008

Northern Ireland Bill of Rights Forum

Adviser to the Bill of Rights Forum on the drafting of, and legal issues arising from, a new Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland.  Advice given on defining a “public authority”, devolution, drafting a preamble, human rights, implementation, interpretation, justiciability of socio-economic rights, mainstreaming human rights, remedies, and standing.

Jan 2007 to date

Lecturer in Law, Trinity College Dublin

Courses: Advanced European Union Law, Comparative Public Law, Human Rights Law, Public Procurement Law.

Oct 2005 to 2007

CUF Lecturer in Law (University) and Fellow of Wadham College, Oxford

Courses: Administrative Law, Constitutional Law, European Community Law (constitutional and substantive).  (Undergraduate and postgraduate students).

Lecture Series: Administrative Law in Context; Constitutionalism in the EU; The Multi-Layered Constitution.

Oct 2004 to date

Blackstone Chambers, London

Pupillage (2004-2005); Member of the Blackstone Chambers Academic Panel (2006 to date).

2003 -2004

Corpus Christi College, Oxford

College Lecturer.  Taught Administrative Law to undergraduate students from Corpus Christi College and St. John’s College.

Sep 1999 - Sep 2001

Davis Polk & Wardwell, Attorneys-at-Law, New York

Litigation Attorney (Associate)
Areas of Practice: Administrative Law, Antitrust, Asylum Law, Commercial Arbitration, Constitutional Law, Criminal Law, Fraud, Regulation, Securities, White Collar Crime.

Sep 1999 - Sep 2001

Columbia University Law School, New York

Tutor.  Taught clinical workshop on behalf of Davis Polk & Wardwell in Asylum Law and Procedure.

Other relevant experience

Awards:
  • Start-Up Grant Competition, Trinity College, Dublin, 2007-2008
  • University of Oxford Travel Award 2004
  • Arts and Humanities Research Council Award 2001-2004
  • Harvard Law School Fellowship 1998-1999
  • Magdalen College Award for Excellent Performance in B.C.L. Examinations 1998
  • Arts and Humanities Research Council Award 1997-1998
  • Law School Award, Trinity College Dublin, for Distinctions in all Finals Examinations 1997
  • Scholar of Trinity College Dublin (Attained Highest Mark in Law) 1995
  • Butterworth Ireland Prize (Highest Mark in Law Examinations) 1994
  • Trinity College Entrance Exhibitioner 1993

 

Publications / Conferences:

Books
  • Delegation of Governmental Power to Private Parties: A Comparative Perspective (OUP, 2007)
  • de Smith’s Judicial Review (Assistant Editor; Authors: Woolf, Jowell, le Sueur) (Sweet and Maxwell, 6th edn, 2007) 
Journal Articles
  • “Remedies in Public Procurement Law in Ireland” (2009) Public Procurement Law Review (forthcoming)
  • “European Union Law Update - 2007” [2008] Irish Yearbook of International Law (forthcoming)
  • “Leonard Cheshire Again and Beyond: Private Contractors, Contract and Section 6(3)(b) of the Human Rights Act” [2005] Public Law 785
  • “Europe’s Area of Freedom, Security and Justice” [2005] Public Law 864 (Review)
Book Chapters
  • “Article 234 in Social and Political Context” with Tom de la Mare in P Craig and G de Búrca (eds) The Evolution of EU Law (2nd edn, OUP, forthcoming, 2009)
  • “A Public Law Analysis of International Investment Law” in T Wälde (ed) International Investment Law and Comparative Public Law (forthcoming, 2009)
  • “The Privatisation of Governmental Functions” in O Doyle and E Carolan (eds) The Irish Constitution: Governance and Values (Thomson/Roundhall, forthcoming, 2008)
  • “The Response of English Public Law to Private Actors in Public Governance” in M Ruffert (ed) The Public/Private Divide: Potential for Transformation (BIICL, forthcoming, 2008)
  • “el Reino Unido” in F Caamaño (ed) El Gobierno y las Relaciones con las Cortes (Centro de Estudios Políticos y Constitucionales, Madrid, 2007)
  • “Les rapports entre droit administratif fédéral et droits administratifs des Etats aux Etats-Unis: comparaison avec l’Union Européenne” in J Dutheil de la Rochère and JB Auby (eds) Droit Administratif Européen (Bruylant, Brussels, 2007)
  • “Habeas Corpus” in B Lang (ed) Administrative Court: Practice and Procedure (Sweet and Maxwell, 2006)
  • “Elections” in B Lang (ed) Administrative Court: Practice and Procedure (Sweet and Maxwell, 2006)
Reports
Papers/Conferences
  • “The Federalising Effect of Administrative Law in the EU and the US”, Centre for European Legal Studies, University of Cambridge, 12 November 2008
  • ”Institutional Reform: With and Without Lisbon”, Irish Centre for European Law, 23 October 2008
  • “Enforcing a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland”, Committee for the Administration of Justice Seminar, 30 September 2008
  • “A British Bill of Rights and Devolution”, JUSTICE Seminar, 11 July 2008
  • “Enforcing Bills of Rights”, Human Rights Consortium of Northern Ireland Conference, 2 July 2008
  • “Remedies in Public Procurement”, Irish Centre for European Law, Conference on State Aid and Public Procurement, 26 May 2008
  • “A Year in the Life of Judicial Review: Key Cases of 2007” with Professor Jeffrey Jowell QC, Sweet and Maxwell Judicial Review Conference, 30 November 2007
  • “Secondary Policies and Public Procurement”, Irish Society for European Law, 29 October 2007
  • Rapporteur “The Human Rights Council”, Annual Department of Foreign Affairs NGO Human Rights Forum, 19 June 2007
  • “The Constitution at 70 and Privatisation of Governmental Functions”, Trinity College Dublin, 8 June 2007
  • “The Response of English Public Law to Private Actors in Public Governance”, Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, 4 May 2007
  • “Governance in the Changing Ireland and the Law’s Response”, Irish Association of Law Teachers Annual Conference, 8 April 2006
  • “Governance and Human Rights”, Society of Legal Scholars First Annual Ireland Seminar, 18 February 2006
  • “Leonard Cheshire and Beyond: Is Contract Really a Substitute for the Human Rights Act?  Does it Matter?”, Society of Legal Scholars Annual Conference, 14 September 2004
  • “Human Rights Controls on Delegates of Governmental Power”, Public Law Discussion Group, University of Oxford, 10 June 2004
  • “The Thirteenth Amendment of the US Constitution and Diplomatic Immunity”, Davis Polk & Wardwell, New York, 12 June 2000
  • “The Importance of Functionalism in Procedural Due Process: A Comparative Perspective” (1999) Harvard Law Library
Memberships:
  • Oxford Amnesty Lectures, Committee Member
  • Irish Society for European Law
  • Society of Legal Scholars
  • Dörnberg Study Group
  • American Bar Association
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