The Regulatory Investigations Conference 2023

Sharon Sterritt, CEA, Director of Governance and Support Operations

Sharon Sterritt is Director of Governance & Support Operations. Sharon has previously held positions as Enforcement Portfolio Manager with the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement (ODCE) and with an international accountancy firm, where she specialised in the area of forensic accounting and investigations. During her time in practice, she was seconded to the role of Global Service Line Manager of Forensic & Investigation Services.    In addition to being a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Ireland, Sharon holds Post Graduate Diplomas in Forensic Accounting (Chartered Accountants Ireland), Risk Management, Internal Audit & Compliance (Chartered Accountants Ireland) and Regulatory, Corporate & White Collar Crime (King’s Inns).

Chairperson Judy Peters

Judy is La Touche Training’s lead investigation trainer and regularly works with our wide client base including Government Agencies, Regulatory Bodies, Local Authorities, Commercial Clients and Law Firms. Over the past 23 years, Judy has not only curated our Regulatory Investigations Conferences, but has also designed and delivered investigative programmes for clients including: AIB, Bank of Ireland, Central Bank, Department of Agriculture, Department of Social Protection, Eversheds, Health & Safety Authority, National Parks and Wildlife Service, Mental Health Commission, ODCE, Revenue Commissioners & many more!

Matthew Holmes BL

Matthew Holmes is a practising barrister specialising in regulatory crime and judicial review. He was called to the bar of Ireland in 2010 and is called to the Bars of Northern Ireland and England and Wales (Middle Temple).

He is the author of a number of articles on regulatory crime and 5 textbooks, the most recent of which is "Criminal Procedure in the Circuit Court". His book on evidence was nominated for law book of the year at the Irish Law Awards. Matthew has also written a large number of articles on a variety of cutting edge legal issues, in particular on administrative law and the intersection between law and developing technology. 

Michael Lindsay BL

Michael is a graduate in economics and social studies from Trinity College, Dublin. He was called to the Bar in 2019.

He is recently qualified as a Chartered Tax Advisor and is currently studying for the Diploma in Trusts and Estate Planning in the Law Society of Ireland. Michael specialises in civil litigation, with experience in defamation, chancery and personal injuries amongst other areas.

Tony McGillicuddy SC

Tony was called to the Bar in 2002. He began practising in 2004 and has been a member of the Inner Bar since October 2022.

Recent cases he has handled, all concluded before the Courts, include:   

Criminal Law: 

DPP v. Derek Lennon [2021] IECA 30 (sentencing guidelines for witness intimidation)

DPP v. Gary Campion [2019] 1 ILRM 37 (competency of witness)

Article 40 Applications and Judicial Review: 

Hennelly v. Governor of Mountjoy Prison [2021] IEHC 723 and [2021] IECA 330 - Contempt of court issues and Order 42 of the RSC considered by the High Court and Court of Appeal.

Ryan v. Governor of Mountjoy Prison (Supreme Court) [2020] 2 ILRM 48 (whether an Article 40 application can be dismissed as an abuse of process)

C.I. v. Member in Charge of Dun Laoghaire Garda Station [2020] IEHC 512 (bringing an accused person before the court as soon as practicable, and complications arising from Covid issues)

Sean Farrell and Ciaran Maguire v. Superintendent of Letterkenny Garda Station [2019] IEHC 67 and 69 (High Court) [2019] IECA 278 (Court of Appeal in both cases)

Constitutional Law: 

Carter v. The Minister for Education and Skills [2020] 1 IR 244 - consideration of the constitutional right to education. 

Darragh Galvin v. DPP, AG and Ireland [2020] IECA 319 - The Court of Appeal set out guiding principles for when constitutional challenges should proceed by way of plenary action rather than by Judicial Review.     

Extradition Law:

Minister for Justice v. Harrison [2020] IECA 159

Minister for Justice v. J.A.T. (Supreme Court) [2016] 2 ILRM 262 - Held that the exceptional circumstances of the case constituted an abuse of process such that surrender should be refused.

Minister for Justice v. Ciaran Maguire [2020] IECA 341 

Civil and Other: 

District Court (2021) – Presented the Garda objections to renewal of licences for the Berlin Bar in Dublin 2, which were accepted by District Judge Marie Quirke. 

Purcell v. Central Bank [2016] IEHC 514, which was an unsuccessful challenge against the Administrative Sanctions Procedures contained within the Central Bank Act, 1942 (as amended)

Kenneth Ruane, Head of Civil Legal, An Garda Siochana

Having qualified as a solicitor in 1998, Kenneth Ruane was appointed to the post of Head of Civil Legal at An Garda Síochána on the 11th of December 2011.  His main role is to advise the Garda Commissioner and Garda management on a range of issues to include civil litigation, corporate, employment, immigration law together with European and Human Rights law. 

Kenneth is the advisor to the Garda Commissioner on matters pertaining to the Data Protection Act 2018 and also in respect of Freedom of Information. He regularly lectures and tutors Trainee Solicitors and members of the Legal Profession on these topics and is also currently dealing with the proceedings regarding Data Retention before the ECJ in the Graham Dwyer case. 

Kenneth was previously a solicitor in the Chief State Solicitor’s Office from 1999 to 2011 dealing with Extradition/European Arrest Warrant cases and a member of the Law Society of Ireland's Litigation Committee from 2007 to 2012.  In April 2012, Kenneth attended a three-week Leadership Program in Washington, U.S. at the request of the U.S. Department of State and has also completed an MSC in Leadership and Business Management in Smurfit Business School 2020. Kenneth also recently qualified as a Mediator with the International Mediation Institute in March 2021.  

Caroline Conroy, Solicitor, La Touche Training

Caroline Conroy, B.C.L. is a graduate of University College Cork. She was admitted to the Roll of Solicitors, Trinity Term 1985 and practiced as a Solicitor specialising in litigation in the firm of Ivor Fitzpatrick & Company Solicitors in Dublin for 5 years specialising in commercial litigation. Caroline has represented her clients in judicial and quasi- judicial for a including courts, tribunals and inquiries. 

Caroline is the founder of La Touche Training, which she established in Ireland in 1995. She ran the first ever specialised training programme for expert witnesses in Ireland and is now Ireland’s leading specialist trainer in Ireland in training experts about their role and duties; how to write expert witness reports and how to present expert oral evidence. 

La Touche Training ran the first ever Expert Witness Conference in Ireland in 1997 and since then has run a number of Expert Witness Conferences. Due to her extensive work in the area of expert evidence, Caroline was invited to contribute to the Irish Law Reform Commissions’ Consultation Paper on Expert Evidence in 2009. She has also represented Ireland at EuroExpert conferences and regularly gives presentations and writes articles on the role and duties of expert witnesses. 

With over 20 years’ experience in designing and presenting specialist legal training programmes for the public and private sector, regulatory bodies and professional bodies, Caroline’s client list includes the Health and Safety Authority, The EPA, the Central Bank, the Department of Health, the Department of Justice & Law Reform, the Department of Social Protection, the Central Bank, the Medical Council, the Nursing and Midwifery Board, the Medical Bureau of Ireland, the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland, the RIAI, the EPA, the Irish Prison Service, the Chartered Surveyors of Ireland, the ICGP, the Mental Health Commission, Axa, Google, E-bay, Eircom, An Post and many more private and state bodies. 

Combining her experience as a litigator together with her extensive experience as a trainer, Caroline is regularly asked to speak at conferences and give presentations.