Law Society past-president James MacGuill has died
Law Society past-president James MacGuill SC has died aged 63.
A native of Dundalk, Co Louth, he served as President of the Law Society in 2007/08.
As well as president, he chaired several Law Society committees – including the Criminal Law Committee and Human Rights Committee.
Law Society President Rosemarie Loftus said that the organisation was saddened by the news, describing James MacGuill as "solicitor, past-president, and friend".
CCBE president
James MacGuill graduated in law from UCC in 1983 and was admitted to the roll of solicitors in 1986.
Managing partner of MacGuill and Company, he specialised in litigation, with an emphasis on public law, especially criminal law.
In 2020, he was one of the first Irish solicitors to be granted the title senior counsel by the Irish Government.
He also served as president of the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE), which represents the bars and law societies of 45 countries, in 2022.
Landmark cases
In a statement, Law Society President Rosemarie Loftus said: "Over a 40-year career, James was one of the country's most prominent litigation solicitors, with a particular focus on public-law criminal defence.
"He represented clients in landmark cases in both Ireland and Europe – including representing a defendant in Ireland’s first ever criminal prosecution for female genital mutilation," she stated.
The president said that his passion for criminal law and human-rights law showed the people-centred approach that he applied to his work.
Justice
"James embodied the core of what it means to be a solicitor, to achieve the object of justice for any person who needs it," she added.
"The contribution James has made to the Law Society, the solicitors’ profession, and Irish law is immeasurable. His sound judgment, advice, and wit will be missed by colleagues.
"James's career and beliefs can be summed up in a quote from a Law Society Gazette interview when he was appointed President of the Law Society: 'The greatest satisfaction for me in being a solicitor is where your client is the person against whom all the odds are stacked – but has justice on their side'.
"We extend our deepest condolences to his family and friends.
"Ní neart go cur le chéile."
'Fearless' lawyer
FLAC (Free Legal Advice Centres), where the Law Society past-president was a council member, described him as "a fearless, groundbreaking, and pre-eminent public-interest lawyer", who took on cases that may otherwise have never been heard.
"He provided inspiration to lawyers committed to using the law to achieve social change," a statement said.
Extending condolences to family, friends, and colleagues, FLAC described his death is "a huge loss to access to justice in Ireland".