Aoife Kelly-Desmond
Aoife is Managing Solicitor at Mercy Law Resource Centre.
Previously, she worked as a solicitor in A&L Goodbody and Matheson, where she advised commercial entities, in particular financial institutions, and public bodies on investigations, regulatory matters and complex litigation and disputes.
Aoife is Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors of Plan International Ireland, an international charity that aims to advance children’s rights and promote equality for girls.
Aoife is a member of the Law Society of Ireland, a graduate of University College Cork and has completed post-graduate programmes in law and business disciplines with Queen Mary, University of London, the Leicester Castle Business School, DeMontfort University of Leicester, and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research.
Paul Dornan
Paul is a solicitor with extensive experience in family and child law having worked for the Legal Aid Board as a part of the civil legal aid and advice team at Finglas Law Centre. Prior to this, Paul was part of the corporate team at A&L Goodbody Belfast, acting on behalf of businesses and charities in relation to corporate legal needs. During his time with ALG, Paul was also an active contributor to ALG pro bono projects, including producing a report on forced labour.
Paul holds a BA in History & Political Science and a Masters of International Peace Studies from Trinity College Dublin. Paul also holds a Master of Legal Science from Queens University in Belfast and attended the Institute of Professional Legal Studies in Queens University Belfast, subsequently qualifying as a solicitor in 2015. Within the not for profit sector, Paul worked for the organisation ‘Healing through Remembering’, researching and providing analysis on issues surrounding conflict in Northern Ireland. Paul joined MLRC in May 2019.
Nuala
Nuala has worked with MLRC as legal secretary providing locum and extra cover for periods since 2013, joining the team permanently in 2015. Nuala has worked for the legal profession for many years in small, medium and large legal firms. She has wide experience in all areas of law. Nuala has been involved throughout her life with issues that affect people on the margins of our society. During the 60s and 70s she was heavily involved in the Dublin Housing Action Committee which campaigned for the alleviation of the housing crisis at that time. During the 90s she was involved in the Regeneration Programme for Rialto contributing to the general issues of the programme and in particular to the area of employment and training , acting as the independent member on the Board of the FAS Management Project.
Sinead McGarrigle
Sinead is a solicitor and was previously an associate in Competition and EU Law at McCann Fitzgerald. Sinead brings a wealth of experience to the MLRC team. Sinead is a graduate of Trinity College Dublin (LL.B.) and the University of Oxford (B.C.L.). While studying at Trinity as a law student, Sinead developed her legal knowledge of human rights, a lifelong passion that has seen her volunteer in a wide range of organisations. This motivation to make a positive impact on vulnerable communities has seen Sinead working with underprivileged young adults in Hong Kong, disabled orphans in Romania and as a volunteer with the Free Legal Advice Centre (FLAC) in Dublin.
Following her studies at Trinity, Sinead specialised in human rights law at the University of Oxford, furthering her legal knowledge and expertise. Sinead has previously worked as an Associate at McCann Fitzgerald for the last number of years, working on cases relating to EU and Competition law, constitutional law and legislative queries. Sinead’s background of advocacy, front line experience, passion for social equality and wide-ranging legal knowledge will greatly strengthen the work of MLRC and enrich the quality of our services. Sinead joined the MLRC team as a solicitor in July 2019.
Siobhán Tracey
Siobhan works in Communications and Fundraising at Mercy Law Resource Centre. Previously, Siobhán worked in Communications with Concern Worldwide Korea, in Seoul, where she lived for four years.
Siobhán is a graduate of Trinity College Dublin and qualified and worked as a solicitor before leaving legal practice to focus on communications. She is currently studying part-time for a MSc in International Public Policy at Queen Mary of London University. with a view to deepening her understanding of policy issues as they relate to the NGO sector.
Miriam Nally
Miriam a Certified Public Accountant joined Mercy Law Resource Centre in November 2021 as their part time Finance Administrator.
She has over 25 years’ experience working in finance roles in the not for profit sector, in health & education organisations.
In her spare time Miriam is an active member of her local Soroptimist International Club, and her local parish community.
Kathleen Byrne
Kathleen Byrne is a Sister of Mercy who has worked in the field of education in the United States for a number of years. She has had wide experience of interacting with people of diverse cultures and nationalities, an experience she greatly appreciates. While living in Scotland, Kathleen was also involved in pastoral work. Kathleen is very happy to have the opportunity of being involved in the Mercy Law Resource Centre. Kathleen joined the MLRC team in September 2017.
Geraldine Hynes
Geraldine is a solicitor and mediator who has been associated with MLRC since 2012. While working with the Equality Authority from 2001-2012, she acted in many ground-breaking discrimination cases. She now provides consultancy services to private and organisational clients in workplace dispute resolution, including mediation, investigations and appeals. She is also a volunteer community mediator with Northside and Southside mediation services.
Geraldine is a member and past chairperson of the Employment and Equality Law Committee of the Law Society and was also a founding committee member of the Employment Law Association of Ireland. She currently lectures on a number of Law Society diploma courses, including employment law, mediation and judicial skills. She chairs tribunals established under the Mental Health Acts and is a member of the board of the Workplace Relations Commission.