E84 The Fifth Court

Hosts Mark Tottenham BL and Peter Leonard BL are joined in studio by solicitor and Partner at Byrne Wallace, Martin Cooney talking about the law and housing development. He thinks he was always was going to be a lawyer having, at the age of 12, drawn up a contract with his own mother, for payments for chores in the family home!

He also is in the Army Reserve, something he recommends most highly. He still trains every year, as well as advising many top developers.

So what in law what is holding up a functional housing market? Discuss. Spoiler alert. It involves planning permission. And kickbacks. And building inspections, at 12%, is very, very low.

His cultural recommendation. A movie - The Mauritanian (2021)

Plus three cases from the Decisis.ie website

• An environmental law case involving the granting of a revised industrial emissions license for a cement plant.
• A wardship case involving a 96 year old woman and her granddaughter
• A second wardship case, involving a 'vulnerable' man and a nursing home

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E83 The Fifth Court

Problems have emerged around new legislation around enduring powers of attorney (EPA). On this episode hosts Peter Leonard BL and Mark Tottenham BL discuss these issues, and some solutions, with David Byrnes BL and solicitor Flor McCarthy, Founder Director of Solicitors Growth, Ireland’s largest independent community of mutual support and collegiality for Irish legal professionals. David tells his own personal and poignant story about issues that arose with his own father-in-law.

Mark and Peter also discuss three fresh cases from the Decisis.ie file

• A tax case where a party failed to pay €180k in its entirety.
• Asylum law. A case involving a 'marriage of convenience'
• A money laundering case, referencing the infamous Northern Bank robbery.

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E82 The Fifth Court

Peter Leonard BL and Mark Tottenham BL talk to Kevin O'Higgins, solicitor, about his life and times.

As he says himself, 'After 40+ years of practising law, I’ve learned a few things along the way!' and he shares some of that knowledge at

https://ohigginssolicitors.ie/blog

BTW, when he started in law a fax machine was seen as near revolutionary!

A sole practitioner he says he's so busy he sometimes turns business away.

His recommendations for a legal book, Eugene McCague's book on law firm Arthur Cox.

And, as always, three cases from the Decisis.ie casebook;

• A Judicial Review of a case involving The College of Anaesthesiologists of Ireland and recognition of a qualification
• A Personal Injuries case taken against the State judged to be an abuse of the appeal process
• An Isaac Wunder order, a person claiming he was 'immune from court orders'

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.