The chair of the Irish Immigration Lawyers Association (IILA) has said that the organisation wants to engage with stakeholders in the areas of immigration law and practice.

Thomas Coughlan was speaking at the IILA conference, held in the Law Society of Ireland on 1 December.

The association is furthering its links with the Immigration Asylum and Citizenship Bar Association, whose chair, Michael Conlon SC, addressed the meeting.

Conlon spoke of co-operation between the two associations, with a planned joint conference in 2024.

Cindy Carroll (deputy chair of the International Protection Appeals Tribunal) is also due to address IILA members at a training session this month.

Updates on legislation and practice

The first session of the conference was addressed by Sarah-Jane Hillery BL on ‘Constitutional Rights and the Non-Citizen Child’, while Michel Conlon SC spoke on ‘Duties of Co-operation in International Protection Law’.

This was followed by an address by Mary Henderson (solicitor with the Immigrant Council of Ireland) on ‘Irish Naturalisation Updates: Recent Legislative and Practice Changes’.

Maria Hennessy (Assistant Protection Officer, UNHCR Ireland) spoke on addressing statelessness in Ireland, while Catherine Cosgrave (managing solicitor, Immigrant Council of Ireland) addressed delegates on access to citizenship and addressing statelessness in childhood.

Membership of the IILA is open to fully qualified immigration solicitors who hold practising certificates issued by the Law Society of Ireland and work for both applicants and the State.

Associate membership is open to trainee solicitors, legal executives, and staff working under the supervision of a solicitor member of the association.

Applications for membership can be made by applying through the IILA website or by email to info@iila.ie.