William Binchy
William Binchy is an Irish lawyer. He was the Regius Professor of Laws at Trinity College Dublin from 1992 to 2012.
Education
Binchy was educated at University College Dublin. He is a Barrister-at-Law and practised at the Irish Bar from 1968 to 1970.Legal career
He was a Research Counsellor to the Irish Law Reform Commission and special legal advisor on family law reform to the Department of Justice. He has been a consultant to the Department of Foreign Affairs and represented Ireland at the Hague Conference on Private International Law. Professor Binchy is a member of the Irish Human Rights Commission. He specialises in private international law, the law of torts and family law. In 2010, he was made an Honorary Bencher of the Honourable Society of King's Inns.He has been involved in a number of campaigns in connection with proposed amendments to the Constitution of Ireland. In particular, he campaigned:
- in favour of the constitutional ban on abortion in 1983 ;
- against the introduction of divorce in Ireland ;
- against the restriction of the automatic, constitutional right to citizenship of all of those born on the island of Ireland ;
- against the Marriage Equality Bill 2015, to provide for same-sex marriage.
and now holds a Professoriate Emeritus at Trinity College Dublin.
Personal life
His uncle was the historian D. A. Binchy. He is the brother of novelist Maeve Binchy. His daughter is the RTÉ producer and former College Tribune editor Sarah Binchy.Publications
Binchy is a legal researchers and has published books in a variety of areas.Tort law
- The Irish Law of Torts, 2000, Tottel
- The Personal Injuries Assessment Board Act 2003: Implications for the Legal Practice, 2004, FirstLaw
- Ed., The Civil Liability and Courts Act 2004: Implications for Personal Injuries Litigation, 2004, FirstLaw
- Casebook on the Irish Law of Torts, 2005, Tottel
- Ed., Litigation Against Schools: Implications for School Management, 2006, FirstLaw
- Ed., Medical Negligence Litigation: Emerging Issues, 2008, FirstLaw
- The Irish Law of Torts, forthcoming 2013, Bloomsbury
Family law
- Is Divorce the Answer? An Examination of No-Fault Divorce Against the Background of the Irish Debate, 1984, Irish Academic Press
- Casebook on Irish Family Law, 1984, Butterworth
- Ed., Committed Relationships and the Law, 2007, Four Courts Press
Human rights
- Ed., Human Rights, the Citizen and the State: South African and Irish Approaches, 2001, Roundhall Sweet and Maxwell
- Ed., The Administration of Justice: Current Themes in Comparative Perspective, 2004, Four Courts Press
- Ed., The Citizenship Referendum: Implications for the Constitution and Human Rights, 2004, Trinity College Law School
- Ed, Human Rights, Constitutionalism and the Judiciary: Tanzanian and Irish Perspectives, 2006, Clarus Press
- Ed., Timor-Leste: Challenges for Justice and Human Rights in the Shadow of the Past, 2006, Clarus Press
- Ed., The Judicial Protection of Human Rights in Botswana, 2009, Clarus Press
Private international law
- Irish Conflicts of Law, 1988, Butterworths
- Ed., The Rome II Regulation on the Law Applicable to Non-Contractual Obligations: A New Regime, 2009, Brill/Martininus Nijhoff
Irish law
- Annual Review of Irish Law, Thomson Roundhall