Blánaid aims to build a broad public law and civil liberties practice, with particular interests in inquests and inquiries, claims against public authorities, protest law, and international law.
Blánaid started her pupillage at Garden Court Chambers in October 2025.
Her first-six supervisor was Una Morris and her second-six supervisor is Tom Wainwright.
During her first six, Blánaid worked across a range of civil liberties and human rights matters, with a particular focus on actions against the police and public authorities and on Article 2 inquests. She has drafted particulars of claim in matters involving negligence, misfeasance in public office, assault, and discrimination, together with skeleton arguments and grounds of appeal in civil and public law proceedings. She has also undertaken research and drafting in judicial review, including cases concerning police investigative duties. Her work has involved matters before the First-tier Tribunal, Upper Tribunal, Administrative Court, County Court, and Coroner’s Court.
Administrative and Public Law
Overview
Blánaid aims to build a broad public law practice. During her first six, she assisted with judicial review claims across a range of areas, including police disciplinary proceedings and failures to investigate, environmental law, and immigration.
Her experience includes drafting and research supporting pre-action protocol correspondence and grounds for judicial review, together with work on interim relief proceedings in the Administrative Court concerning a challenge to a returns arrangement, and on judicial review proceedings in the Upper Tribunal.
Prior to coming to the Bar, she worked on public law and human rights matters with REDRESS and the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute, and undertook academic research at Columbia Law School examining the compatibility of legislative and policy proposals connected to the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 with domestic and international legal obligations.
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Claims Against the Police and Public Authorities
Overview
Blánaid aims to develop a practice in claims against the police and public authorities. During her first six, she assisted with civil actions at all stages of litigation, including drafting particulars of claim, schedules of loss, and skeleton arguments.
Her experience spans claims arising from police conduct and the exercise of state powers – false imprisonment, negligence, assault and battery, discrimination, data protection breaches, and violations of Convention rights – as well as claims against local authorities and government departments.
She has attended County Court proceedings including case management and costs and case management hearings, applications for anonymity and default judgment, infant approval hearings, and, in support of her supervisor, a successful multi-day civil trial against the police.
Prior to coming to the Bar, she worked on strategic human rights litigation at REDRESS, including cases involving Article 3, unlawful detention, and state accountability.
Blánaid is a member of the Police Action Lawyers’ Group.
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Criminal Defence
Overview
Blánaid accepts instructions in criminal defence and is developing experience representing defendants in the Magistrates’ Court and the Crown Court.
Prior to pupillage, Blánaid gained experience at a specialist criminal defence firm working on complex criminal matters, including financial crime and associated asset recovery proceedings such as unexplained wealth orders and interim freezing orders.
She has a particular interest in cases engaging protest rights and the intersection between criminal law, human rights, and public law.
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Education Law
Overview
Blánaid accepts instructions in education law. In her second six, she is gaining experience in education matters, including submissions and representations for Independent Review Panel hearings in school exclusion cases, and representing both appellants and respondents in Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) appeals.
She is also advising judicial review challenges relating to EHCP provision.
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Environmental Law and Climate Justice
Overview
Blánaid has a strong interest in environmental law and climate justice. During her first six, she assisted in environmental public law matters, including an ongoing judicial review challenging alleged failures by a public authority to address environmental pollution and protect an individual’s livelihood in Northern Ireland.
She has also assisted with climate-related proceedings engaging principles of customary international law and human rights law and has undertaken advisory research on emissions compliance issues for an international NGO.
Blánaid has a particular interest in cases at the intersection of environmental, public, and international law.
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Inquests and Inquiries
Overview
Blánaid has a strong desire to build a practice in inquests and inquiries. During her first six, she assisted with complex inquest proceedings engaging Article 2 ECHR, including contributing to written submissions in a four-week jury inquest concerning a fatal police shooting.
She has attended pre-inquest review hearings and observed major public inquiries, including the Undercover Policing Inquiry and matters arising out of the Grenfell Inquiry relating to compensation and settlement frameworks.
She has a particular interest in cases involving deaths following state contact, Article 2 investigative duties, and systemic failures in public institutions.
Blánaid is a member of the INQUEST lawyers’ group.
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International Law
Overview
Blánaid has a strong background in public international law, including international human rights and criminal law.
Prior to coming to the Bar, she worked in strategic human rights litigation, including as a Legal Officer at REDRESS, where she contributed to submissions before UN Treaty Bodies and regional courts, including the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights in cases concerning torture, enforced disappearance, and extraordinary rendition (Communication 778/22, Tuweni v Republic of Kenya).
Her work includes legal analysis of accountability mechanisms, with a particular focus on universal jurisdiction, including assessing pathways to accountability for serious violations in contexts such as Belarus and contributing to a legal opinion on the scope of universal jurisdiction under customary international law.
She has experience in international criminal law through work on proceedings before the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, including research on evidentiary issues in atrocity crime cases relating to forced marriages (Case 002/02, appeal filed by Khieu Samphân).
She has also contributed to the review of publications on international human rights law, including a report on international standards relating to blasphemy laws published by IBAHRI’s High Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom, and academic texts on freedom of expression.
