IWLA Committee & Sub-Committees

Rosemarie Hayden, a solicitor on the Rolls in Ireland, England and Wales, graduated from UCD & TUD, and works in the area of refugee supports in Irish Red Cross. Rosemarie was elected as chair of the Irish Women Lawyers Association (IWLA) in July 2024, after serving on the Standing Committee of in a variety of roles since 2018.

Rosemarie has served on a number of Boards across the corporate and NGO landscape in Ireland and across the EU, including a previous 4-year term on the Board of Irish Red Cross, and currently serves on the Registration Committee of the Pre Hospital Emergency Care Council and the National Womens Council of Ireland. 

Jane McGowan BL was called to the Bar of Ireland in 2012 and to the Bar of Northern Ireland in 2019. She is a practising barrister specialising in criminal law, human rights law, mental health law, and administrative law.

Jane was appointed by the Minister for Justice Helen McEntee to the Statutory Board of the Legal Aid Board. Jane also sits as a Chairperson of the Mental Health Tribunals (Mental Health Commission).

A former Chairperson of the Irish Criminal Bar Association, Jane is deeply committed to access to justice, integrity in the criminal process, and professional development within the legal community. She is a Supervising Lawyer and Board Member of the Irish Innocence Project; and lectures at Griffith College Dublin, teaching in Miscarriages of Justice and Law of Evidence.

A graduate of Trinity College Dublin (LL.B, M.A), Boston University (PG) , Jane combines her practice with a strong commitment to education, leadership, and advancing equality within the legal profession.

Deirdre graduated from TCD with an LLB(Hons). Following graduation she qualified as a Solicitor with the Law Society of Ireland in 2013 and and is a registered Legal Irish Practitioner on Clár na Gaeilge (An Dlí-Chumann) .Deirdre also qualified as a  Financial Advisor (QFA) and has extensive experience in Financial Services and is currently working as an in-house lawyer/counsel  specialising in Corporate Legal, Regulatory/Company Secretarial and Commercial Contracts.

Deirdre is a volunteer with the Free Legal Advice Centre (FLAC ) and is a Mentor with the Trinity College Women in Law Mentoring Society.

Leanne is currently Assistant Director at Coimisiún na Meán, formerly Deputy Director of the Law Reform Commission, with a strong record in research at the Immigrant Council of Ireland, UCD, Maynooth University. She completed her BCL & LLM at UCD, with post-graduate studies in project management and is currently completing her Doctoral research at Maynooth University as the John and Pat Hume Doctoral Scholar 2019-2025.  

Fiona McNulty LLB was admitted to the Roll of Solicitors in Ireland in 2016. A graduate of TCD, she is a Partner at mason Hayes & Curran. Fiona has completed a Higher Diploma in Corporate, White Collar and Regulatory Crime and is a registered Legal Irish Practitioner on Clár na Gaeilge (An Dlí Chumann) and the Irish Language Register (Law Society of Ireland.

She serves on the Council of the Law Society of Ireland, topping the poll in 2024. She chairs the Law Society of Ireland’s Younger Members Committee and has served on the Committee of IWLA since 2015.

Catherine O’Sullivan is a graduate of UCC (BCL, LLM) and Osgoode Hall Law School, Canada (PhD). Her main research interests lie in Criminal Law,Gender and the Law, Children’s Rights and Law and Poopula Culture. She has co-authored the first national survey on ‘Stalking and Harassment in Ireland’ (2023)and two leading student texts ‘Criminal Law in Ireland: Cases and Materials 2nd Ed.'(2021) and ‘Fundamentals of the Irish Legal System’ (2021) in addition to multiple articles in national and international legal publications.

She is the Director of the BCL(Pathways) degree in UCC where she lectures Criminal Law and Criminology. She chairs the Sexual Violence Centre Cork (SVCC) Board of Directors and she has been a member of the Committee since 2020.  

Niamh is an Assistant Principal Legal Executive with the Chief State Solicitor’s Office, where she works in the area of judicial review litigation.

She holds a BA in History and Economics, a Postgraduate Diploma in Law, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Conflict and Dispute Resolution. Her multidisciplinary background has shaped her interest in the intersection of law, governance, and social justice.

With extensive experience in public law and legal procedure, she is committed to promoting fairness, accountability, and access to justice within the public sector.

She is passionate about supporting the professional growth of women in law.

She joined the Committee in 2023. 

A graduate of University College Dublin, Tina was called to the Bar of Ireland in 2023, practising in criminal law. Tina is a committee member of the Irish Criminal Bar Association and a Supervising Lawyer with the Irish Innocence Project. She also lectures in ‘criminal law’, at Griffith College, Dublin.

Tina has served as the membership officer for the IWLA since 2024.

Sinéad is a Partner in Carson McDowell’s Healthcare Team and Head of Dublin Office. She joined Carson McDowell to lead its Dublin team in 2020.  Sinéad trained in William Fry Solicitors and was appointed partner there in 2014.

Sinéad’s core practice involves defending clinical negligence claims brought against consultants and general practitioners and representing doctors before the Irish Medical Council.  She has advised a wide range of clients in the healthcare sector in Ireland and internationally including consultants, hospitals, voluntary organisations, pharmacies and healthcare indemnifiers. Sinéad has acted in some of the highest profile and public Fitness to Practise Inquiries to come before the Irish Medical Council and also in Commissions of Investigation.

In addition, Sinéad is an experienced media lawyer having provided pre-publication advice to both national newspapers and independent television production companies. She has advised plaintiffs and defendants in defamation actions, reputation management and has advised on the taking of injunctive relief preventing publication. Sinéad has also advised corporate and individual clients on their concerns arising from television broadcasts, print and online media.

Sinéad is a Board Member of the Adelaide Health Foundation (“AHF”).  The AHF supports education and research to advance and promote equitable access to healthcare services in Ireland with a particular focus on Tallaght University Hospital and the community it serves.

 Sinéad is a passionate advocate for women in law in Ireland and seeks to effect positive change as a mentor on the Women in Leadership Programme at the Irish Law Society and joined the IWLA Committee in 2025.