Séamus Woulfe

Séamus Philip Woulfe SC (born 1 April 1962) is an Irish barrister who has served as the Attorney General of Ireland since June 2017.^[1]

Education and Career

Woulfe was educated at Belvedere College before obtaining a BA (Mod) (Legal Science) from Trinity College, Dublin in 1984. He then obtained an LLM Degree from Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia in 1986 and the BL degree from the Honourable Society of King’s Inns in 1987. Woulfe began practising at the Irish bar in October 1987 and was called to the Inner Bar as senior counsel in March 2005. He has acted as Legal Assessor to the Fitness to Practise Committees of the Irish Medical Council and the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland.

As a junior counsel Woulfe acted in the Beef Tribunal. Woulfe and, now High Court judge Michael White, who instructed him at the tribunal (along with the then Adrian Hardiman, SC, who led Woulfe), took the Government of Ireland to the European Court of Human Rights due to a long delay in their professional fees being discharged (Michael White & Seamus Woulfe v Ireland, Application No 18595/04, Chamber decision 24 November 2005). The State was liable to pay the fees, but appealed a 1996 decision of the Taxing Master as to the level of the fees. The appeal took many further years to be determined. He also appeared in the notable case of Attorney General v. X. For a number of years, before he took silk, he was a part-time lecturer at Trinity College Dublin. Immediately before being appointed Attorney General he was vice-chairman of the Bar of Ireland and formally acted as the Bar Council's Treasurer.

'Dog's Dinner' Controversy

As Attorney General Woulfe attracted attention for describing the Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017 as 'a dog’s dinner',^{[2][3][4][5][6]} which was widely regarded as an essentially manufactured controversy by Shane Ross, TD, the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, an Independent TD backing the current government.

Personal

A longtime resident of Clontarf in Dublin, Woulfe is married to a barrister, with two children.

References