AISLING BUTLER (Chairperson) heads up the Health & Safety Unit of William Fry and advises on all aspects of Employment and Health & Safety Law. Aisling has previously worked with international law firms in both Paris and London where she developed extensive experience in Commercial Litigation and specialised in a wide range of high profile and high value commercial law suits and international arbitrations.

RAYMOND BYRNE, barrister, is Director of Research at the Irish Law Reform Commission, and a lecturer at the School of Law and Government, Dublin City University. He is also chair of the DCU Graduate Diploma / MBS programme in safety and health at work. He is author of Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Law in Ireland (nifast, 2001) and Annotation to the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 (Thomson Round Hall, 2006). From 2001 to 2003, he was a board member of the Irish National Accreditation Board, a division of Forfas.

BARRETT CHAPMAN is a partner in the Construction Group of McCann FitzGerald. Barrett has particular expertise in the area of health and safety law and provides advice generally and in defence of prosecutions to those in the construction industry and other industries. Barrett has contributed articles to a variety of periodicals and lectures to audiences on the topic at Trinity College Dublin, University College Dublin, the Incorporated Law Society of Ireland, the Construction Industry Federation and the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health.

ALISON FANAGAN (Treasurer) is a partner in A&L Goodbody. She is a litigation lawyer with particular expertise in regulatory disputes including Judicial Review, and with more than fifteen years experience in dealing with environmental and health and safety matters. She defends criminal prosecutions for clients faced with environmental and health and safety offences, including in jury trials, assists clients in their interaction with the Health and Safety Authority, and regularly advises on proactive and practical ways to ensure compliance.

SHAY FLEMING was called to the Bar in 1999 and commenced practice in 2000. He is a former Inspector in the Health and Safety Authority’s Operations and Specialised Services Units and has previously worked in the microelectronics, chemical, and print and packaging industries. He holds professional memberships of the Royal Society of Chemistry, the Instituteof Physics and the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health and is a specialist Occupational Safety and Health legal practitioner.

PATRICK MCGRATH is a barrister currently based in Dublin. He practices in the areas of Health and Safety, Judicial Review, Extradition, Crime and Asylum. He has appeared in both District and Circuit Court criminal trials involving prosecutions under the Health and Safety Legislation.

SHANE MURPHY is a Senior Counsel. He has an extensive practice in both Criminal and Civil law. He has prosecuted and defended criminal proceedings initiated under the Safety, Health & Welfare at Work Acts.

NIAV O'HIGGINS is a partner in Arthur Cox' Projects Group, specialising in Construction. She has an MA in Health and Safety law and, since moving to Dublin in 1997, has developed particular expertise in advising on all matters relating to health and safety, including the defence of enforcement action taken against contractors and designers, as well as employers in a variety of other sectors.

CIARAN O'MARA, senior employment law partner at O'Mara Geraghty McCourt, Solicitors, has practised for over 28 years and appeared in many of the leading employment law cases. He has lectured and written widely on many topics in this field including health and safety matters. He is the legal editor of Practical Employment Law.

MICHAEL O’NEILL (Vice-Chair) was recruited to the newly established position of in-house Legal Adviser to the Health & Safety Authority in 2001. Since then he has advised the Authority on all aspects of occupational safety and health law (civil and criminal, national and European) as well as the roll out of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act, 2005. Formerly a réferendaire at the European Court of Justice, Michael has lectured in health and safety law and EU law in Ireland and abroad.

DAVID PHELAN is a Partner with Hayes solicitors and head of the firm’s commercial department. He deals with employment law matters and has developed a particular interest in health and safety issues. David advises both employers and employees on all aspects of the area.

SÍOBHRA RUSH (Secretary) is a Senior Associate in the Employment, Pensions and Benefits Group at Matheson Ormsby Prentice. She has gained experience on a wide range of employment law and health and safety matters, both contentious and non-contentious. She engages in advisory work for a wider variety of clients on health and safety, and also enforcement action for the Health and Safety Authority under the 2005 Act.

GEOFFREY SHANNON is a solicitor and is the Senior Lecturer in health and safety law at the Law Society of Ireland. He has written widely in the health and safety area and acts as legal editor of A – Z of Health and Safety Risk Assessment in Ireland. Geoffrey is the author of Health and Safety: Law and Practice. A second edition of this book will be published by Thomson Round Hall later this year.

IAN THOMAS is a solicitor with Maree Gallagher Associates, a specialist regulatory law firm based in Dublin, where he practises in health and safety law, food law and product regulation. He practised as a barrister in England and Wales for thirteen years before moving to Ireland. He has substantial experience of advising and representing corporate clients, individuals and regulatory authorities.