The Fifth Court - DSBA Legal Podcast of the Year

• E125 The Fifth Court - John Brennan, former CIA head at The Centre for Justice and Law Reform Summer School 2025

  Episode 125 The Fifth CourtJohn Brennan ran America’s most secretive operations as CIA director. Now he’s sharing what he learned about balancing intelligence, justice, and democracy. From briefing presidents to confronting terror, Brennan gives The Fifth Court a rare insider’s view—and explains why Ireland’s Centre for Justice and Law Reform Summer School 2025 could shape vital global conversations. The Fifth Court co-presenter Peter Leonard seized his chance to get a rare interview with this world player. Fascinating.The episode also includes recent important cases drawn from the Decisis casebook and discussed by Mark Tottenham BL and Peter Leonard BL.These cases are brought to you thanks to Charltons Solicitors and Collaborative Practitioners, Georges St. Dun Laoghaire, Dublin.This episodes cases include;Were the Garda Siochana justified in refusing station bail following an arrest for an alleged breach of a barring order'Passing off', Yoplait V Nutrica (maker of Danone) Mount Salus Residents V An Bord Pleanala involving a County Development PlanListen now wherever you get your podcasts or at thefifthcourt.ie and give us a Five Star ***** Review! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• E124 The Fifth Court - Alice Doyle, Circuit Court Judge (ret.) - Justice V Vengeance, reflections on the difficulty in sentencing

  Conversation from the Bench, Retired Judge Alice Doyle at the Inaugural Kilkenny Law FestivalRecorded live at the Kilkenny Law Festival, this special episode of The Fifth Court — recent Merit Award winner of the Law Society of Ireland's Awards — features a wide-ranging conversation with Retired Circuit Judge Alice Doyle. With over two decades on the bench, Judge Doyle shares rare insights into the pressures of presiding over criminal, family, and civil cases across Ireland.She is very self-effacing about her school days and her lack of qualifications early on...however she made up for it later.She discusses the human stories behind the courtroom, including her first time giving a long sentence for a crime, the evolution of legal practice, and life after retirement. A must-listen for legal professionals and court-watchers alike.Her culture recommendation? A movie, 'My Cousin Vinnie'.The episode also includes recent important cases drawn from the Decisis casebook and discussed by Mark Tottenham BL and Peter Leonard BL.These cases are brought to you thanks to Charltons Solicitors and Collaborative Practitioners, Georges St. Dun Laoghaire, Dublin.This episodes cases include;An appeal of findings of 'professional misconduct' - a solicitor was not happy with a disciplinary hearing findingA case where a child was not entitled to special care as all other options had not been exhaustedA case involving a Garda disciplinary issue where the Garda was seeking a Judicial Review Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• E123 The Fifth Court - Mark O'Connell, author 'A Thread of Violence', on the Malcolm McArthur case - from the Kilkenny Law Festival

  The Murderer, the Memoirist & the Mystery That LingersOn episode 123 of The Fifth Court, we’re joined by Mark O’Connell, Irish Times contributor and author of the acclaimed A Thread of Violence, his gripping account of the life — and crimes — of Malcolm MacArthur.In conversation with barristers Peter Leonard BL and Mark Tottenham BL, and recorded at the inaugural Kilkenny Law Festival 2025, O’Connell reflects on:The extraordinary access he had to MacArthurThe unsettling contradictions at the heart of the man and the murdersAnd the personal and ethical tightrope of writing about someone capable of extreme violenceHe also shares behind-the-scenes stories and details that didn’t make it into the book — including a few surprises even seasoned observers may not know such as his preoccupation with dust...If you thought you knew the MacArthur story… think again.The episode also includes recent important cases drawn from the Decisis casebook and discussed by Mark Tottenham BL and Peter Leonard BL.These cases are brought to you thanks to Charltons Solicitors and Collaborative Practitioners, Georges St. Dun Laoghaire, Dublin.This episodes cases include;A professional negligence action against two firms of solicitorsA Judicial Review of a Compulsory Purchase Order of a farm brought against a Local AuthorityAnd, a Summary Judgement case involving a loan that had a number of previous 'owners'. Listen now wherever you get your podcasts or at thefifthcourt.ie#TheFifthCourt #IrishCrime #TrueCrimePodcast #LegalPodcast #MarkOConnell #ATreadofViolence #MalcolmMacArthur #IrishLaw #TrueCrimeIreland #IrishWriters #BarristersView #PodcastRecommendation #LinkedInVoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• E122 The Fifth Court - Frank McNally, Irish Times - a Bloomsday (Legal) Special

  E122 The Fifth Court Frank McNally, author of Irish Times 'An Irishman's Diary', on Bloomsday, June 16th 1904 - The many legal themes running through one of the great English language books.His cultural recommendation, 'The Third Policeman', by Flann O'BrienHis movie choice is 'All the President's Men'The episode also includes recent important cases drawn from the Decisis casebook and discussed by Mark Tottenham BL and Peter Leonard BL.These cases are brought to you thanks to Charltons Solicitors and Collaborative Practitioners, Georges St. Dun Laoghaire, Dublin.Cases includeA Personal Injuries case involving the Hotel Kilkenny and a claim about a wet floorA case where a businessman breached several equitable reliefsA judgement debt that had not been extinguished by a previous settlement agreement Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• E121 The Fifth Court - Ms Justice Marguerite Bolger, life and times of a High Court judge

  Episode 121 of The Fifth Court is the first of a mini-series of the podcast recorded at the Kilkenny Law Festival 2025, held from May 16–18 in Kilkenny City. It offered a dynamic weekend of discussions on contemporary and historical legal topics aimed at making legal discourse accessible and engaging, blending serious analysis with entertainment - a bit like our own podcast!The event featured a diverse lineup of speakers, including judges, journalists, academics, and legal practitioners. Topics ranged from the impact of AI and blockchain on the legal profession to discussions on censorship, defamation, and constitutional reform.On this episode co-host Peter Leonard chats to Ms Justice Marguerite Bolger, appointed as a Judge of the High Court in January 2022. She is very well known for work in employment and equality law. She co-authored seminal legal texts such as Criminal Law (with Peter Charleton and Paul Anthony McDermott), Sex Discrimination and the Law, and Employment Equality Law and served as Chairperson of the Employment Bar Association of Ireland as well as being a member of the executive board of the Irish Council for Civil Liberties.Notable Judgments:In a 2024 case, emphasized the importance of firsthand recollections in traumatic events, stating that assumptions about memory fading shouldn't apply to unusual incidents like witnessing a death outside a nightclub.In 2025, ruled that a plaintiff's claim regarding defective breast implants was sufficiently pleaded, allowing the case to proceed.Her cultural recommendation, 38 Londres Street: On Impunity, Pinochet in England and a Nazi in Patagonia (2025) by Phillipe Sands. He examines the cases of Augusto Pinochet and Nazi officer Walther Rauff, highlighting issues of impunity and international justice.The episode also includes recent important cases drawn from the Decisis casebook and discussed by Mark Tottenham BL and Peter Leonard BL.These cases are brought to you thanks to Charltons Solicitors and Collaborative Practitioners, Georges St. Dun Laoghaire, Dublin.Cases includeA case involving a failure to comply with a court orderA wind turbine operation restriction to minimise noise, particularly at nightA High Court decision involving a Norwich Pharmacal Order, a type of court order compelling a third party—usually an innocent but involved party, like an internet service provider, bank, or social media platform—to disclose information that can help identify a wrongdoer. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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