First annual conference of the Professional Regulatory and Disciplinary Association (PRDBA)

The first annual conference of the Professional Regulatory and Disciplinary Association (PRDBA) was held in the Atrium of the Distillery Building on Friday, 22^nd May.

The PRDBA is a new specialist bar association for Irish barristers who practice before professional regulatory tribunals (such as the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal and the Fitness to Practise Committee of the Medical Council) and who are interested in professional regulatory and disciplinary law. The association was officially launched by the Hon. Mr. Justice Nicholas Kearns, President of the High Court on 5 November, 2014 and now has over 50 members drawn from the Law Library of Ireland.

The conference was chaired by Nicholas Butler SC. Seamus Woulfe SC opened the conference with a consideration of the role of the legal assessor to professional regulatory tribunals. Patrick Leonard SC followed this paper with a consideration of the impact of publicity and the media on these tribunals. Ciara McGoldrick considered the differences between various professional regulatory schemes in the health sector and the UK proposals for reform, Simon Mills BL considered the impact of the decision of the Supreme Court in the Corbally on the concept of poor professional performance and JP McDowell, solicitor, considered cross-border issues in professional misconduct.

96 delegates, including barristers, and solicitors, in addition to representatives of regulatory bodies and associations representing regulated professionals, attended the event.

The PRDBA is in the process of developing a website with a view to increasing awareness amongst relevant stakeholders and the public alike of this area of practice at the bar. It is envisaged that this website shall include a members’ area, which shall act as a repository for papers given at previous events hosted by the PRDBA.

The PRDBA kicked off the first in its series of breakfast briefings with a talk by Eileen Barrington SC, which was attended by over 70 members of the library, on 27^th February. It is hoped that the PRDBA will host another breakfast briefing in July. Interested members of the library should keep an eye on the notice boards and barrister’s desktop for further details. 

For further information about the PRDBA or to join, please contact prdba@lawlibrary.ie.