London Bar
Administrative law and human rights
Other key lawyer1Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh KC – Matrix Chambers 'Her eye for detail is extraordinary.'
Matrix Chambers
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Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh KC
Matrix Chambers, London
- Phone020 7404 3447
- Email[email protected]
- Profilewww.matrixlaw.co.uk
Position
Blinne is a human rights and international law expert with a broad criminal, civil and public law practice. She advises and acts for individuals, States, Non-Governmental Organisations, and other national and international bodies, arguing novel, complex and often high-profile points of law before domestic courts, including the Supreme Court, and before international courts and tribunals, including the International Court of Justice.
Her domestic practice includes cases involving the rights to freedom of expression and freedom of protest, discrimination and equality, international law, environmental law, national security, prisons, police.
Blinne was nominated Public International Law Junior of the Year in 2022. She was shortlisted for Barrister of the Year in 2022, Crime Junior of the Year in both 2020 and 2021, and for Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year in 2021. She was Times Lawyer of the Week in January 2022 and Irish Legal News Barrister of the Month in February 2022 for her defence of one of protesters who toppled the statue of the slaver Edward Colston in Bristol. She was appointed a Visiting Fellow at Harvard Law School in 2016, and a Pegasus Fellow to the Centre for Constitutional Right in New York in 2010.
She is called to the Bars of Ireland, North and South, in addition to the Bar of England and Wales. She is also on the International Criminal Court’s List of Counsel.
Languages
Fluent French, Basic Irish, Learning Arabic
Memberships
Bar Human Rights Committee (former Vice Chair, current Executive Officer)
Administrative Law Bar Association
Criminal Bar Association
Human Rights Lawyers Association
Education
BA (Modern and Medieval Languages) Queens’ College, Cambridge (First Class Honours) Graduate Diploma in Law, University of Westminster (Distinction)
Bar Vocational Course, Inns of Court School of Law (Outstanding)
LLM International Legal Studies, New York University (equivalent Distinction)
Visiting Fellowship, Harvard Law School (2015)
Fellowships and Awards
Pegasus Scholarship, Inns of Court Phoenicia Scholarship, Bar European Group International Scholarship, Centre for Capital Punishment Studies Buchanan Prize, Lincoln’s Inn Bairstow Scholarship, ICSL St Thomas More Bursary, Lincoln’s Inn Lord Bowen Scholarship, Lincoln’s Inn Hardwicke Award, Lincoln’s Inn Foundation Scholarship, Queen’s College, Cambridge UniversityMentions
London Bar
Crime
Other key lawyer1Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh KC – Matrix Chambers ‘Blinne is just a brilliant all-rounder. She is a hard-working and charismatic silk.'
London Bar
International human rights and criminal law
Other key lawyer0Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh KC – Matrix Chambers ‘Blinne has deservedly been made Kings Counsel. She is one of the leading silks of her generation in this area.’
London Bar
Public international law
Other key lawyer1Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh KC –Matrix Chambers ‘Blinne is a very impressive, intelligent, talented and fearless barrister. She learns the details of the issues very quickly and shows very impressive knowledge of the law. Her advice is clear, detailed and provides a clear outline of the potential courses of action and the benefits and risks.’