FLAC has named David Fennelly BL as its new chair.

Fennelly is a practising barrister and assistant professor in law at Trinity College Dublin. 

He specialises in public law, with a particular interest in EU and international law, including in the fields of human rights and equality.

He first became involved with FLAC as a student in Trinity and has served as a volunteer adviser at FLAC's legal advice clinics for many years. 

He joined the FLAC Council in March 2019.

Sustained interest

“FLAC and its work has really sustained my interest in law over the years and I have very much enjoyed being involved – whether as a volunteer adviser, as a barrister acting in cases for FLAC clients or more recently as a member of the FLAC Council, alongside great colleagues,” he said.

He added that the pandemic had accelerated the digital shift in the legal system.

“While this presents opportunities, it also carries with it certain risks when it comes to access to justice.

“It also means that we need to look at new ways of providing legal information and advice and addressing unmet legal need,” he told the FLAC newsletter.

“More broadly, recent developments in other jurisdictions remind us that we cannot take the rule of law and the role of an independent legal profession and judiciary for granted and FLAC continues to have a valuable role to play in this regard.”