Michael Staines SC

Partner

Michael Staines graduated from UCD with an Honours BCL in 1973 and an Honours Masters Degree in Law in 1975. In between he qualified as a solicitor in 1974.
He then studied European Integration at the University of Amsterdam and attained a postgraduate Diploma, having published his thesis on an aspect of Irish constitutional law and the EU Treaty.

He commenced work as a solicitor in a civil practice in 1976 and two years later joined a criminal law practice, later becoming partner. He set up the firm Michael J. Staines & Company in 1985. He has written many legal articles and has lectured extensively, particularly on criminal law. He has appeared as an advocate in all courts.

He was a member of the Council of the Law Society of Ireland. He was Chairman of the criminal law committee of the Law Society and subsequently a consultant to that committee.

In September 2020, he was granted a Patent of Precedence to use the title of Senior Counsel.

Aoife Corridan

Partner

Aoife graduated from University College Cork with an Honours BCL Law & French and from the University of Edinburgh with a First Class Honours Masters in International Law.

Aoife previously worked in criminal prosecution in Scotland, in the Complex Case Unit and subsequently in the Financial Crime Unit in Crown Office, Edinburgh.

Aoife heads up the Private Client division of the office. She specialises in corporate, regulatory and health and safety litigation and the defence of 'white-collar' prosecutions. She represented the former Chairman and Chief Executive of Anglo Irish Bank, Sean FitzPatrick in the longest criminal trial in the history of the State and in which Mr. FitzPatrick was acquitted.

She was the first ever winner of "Young Lawyer of the Year" at the prestigious Irish Law Awards in 2015. She was among the founding members of the Irish Chapter of the Womens White Collar Defence Association. She is a member of the Criminal Law Committee of the Law Society of Ireland.

Anarine McAllister

Solicitor

Anarine graduated from University College Dublin with a BCL Degree in 1992. Having been admitted to the Roll of Solicitors in 1999, she was also admitted to the Roll of Solicitors in England and Wales.

Anarine worked for a number of years as a solicitor in London specialising in criminal defence work before joining Michael J. Staines & Company in 2005.

Anarine manages the firm's extensive legal aid practice and is an experienced advocate. Highly regarded by both colleagues and clients, Anarine is dedicated to providing a professional service offering clear and concise advice.

Anarine’s areas of expertise include, but are not limited to, the following:

Road Traffic Law
Garda Station Advice
Judicial Review / Habeas Corpus
Human Rights
Prison Law
Extradition / European Arrest Warrants
Serious Sexual Offences

She also has a wide range of expertise in Garda Station representation and Extradition law.

Ciara Hallinan

Solicitor

Ciara graduated from University College Dublin in 2008 with an Honours Business and Law Degree and from University College Cork in 2009 with an Honours LLM in Criminal Justice (Clinical) completing a thesis entitled “Undermining the Presumption of Innocence – An Erosion of Due Process”.

Ciara specialised in criminal law during her traineeship and joined Michael J. Staines & Company as a solicitor in 2015. She is Chairperson of the Criminal Law Committee of the Dublin Solicitors Bar Association.

Ciara works in the legal aid section and is primarily based in the District Court section where she appears as an advocate for clients in the District Courts every day. Ciara also has experience in areas including Circuit and Central Criminal Court trials, Garda Station detentions and advising clients in custody, High Court Bails, cases involving Criminal Assets Bureau, Judicial Reviews and Prison Law.

Niamh Kelly

Senior Solicitor

Niamh graduated from the University of Limerick with an honours degree in Law and Accounting. She previously worked in a large corporate and litigation firm, before moving to an Accountancy firm. She completed her apprenticeship in a criminal defence firm before joining Michael J. Staines and Company.

Niamh lectures in the Law Society of Ireland for the Professional Practice Course and is a speaker at events for the Irish Youth Justice Service. She has specialised training for lawyers dealing with vulnerable people.

Niamh has advised and represented senior management and employees involved in investigations carried out by regulatory bodies in Ireland. Within this jurisdiction she advises on offences wide-ranging and includes breaches under Health and Safety, Food Safety and Company Law.

Mary Hughes

Trials Manager

Mary is a Legal Executive of over thirty years experience working in criminal defence and is our Trials Manager. She has dealt with some of the most high profile and complex cases in the Irish Criminal Courts during that time.

Conor McGreevy

Solicitor

Conor graduated from Trinity College Dublin with a degree in law and German in 2012 and subsequently completed a master’s degree in law at the University of Cape Town, with a thesis on bail and remand detention.

Before qualifying as a solicitor, Conor worked for a number of years as a policy officer in the Embassy of Ireland, Berlin, covering EU and domestic issues including Justice & Home Affairs. Having previously worked in a busy criminal defence practice in Dublin, Conor trained with Arthur Cox, gaining wide-ranging experience in civil and commercial law.

Conor joined Michael J Staines & Co in January 2022 and appears as an advocate in the District Court and regularly advises clients in Garda station detentions. He is also responsible for trials before the superior courts and European Arrest Warrant cases.

Ciara Dinneny

Solicitor

Ciara graduated with a BCL (International) degree from the National University of Galway in 2018. She also completed an LLM in International and Transnational Criminal Law at the University of Amsterdam in 2019.
Prior to commencing her traineeship, Ciara worked for the Prosecution Division of the International Criminal Court where she assisted in the preparation for confirmation hearing in The Prosecutor v. Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman.
Ciara is currently Chief EU Correspondent for JURIST, an online legal news service and serves as an Editorial Board Member for the Hibernian Law Journal.
Ciara was awarded best speaker in the national round of the Stetson International Environmental Moot Court, with her team placing third in the international competition.
Ciara was nominated for Student of the Year at the 2022 Irish Law Awards.

Conor Crean

Trainee Solicitor

Conor graduated from Dublin City University with a BCL degree in Law and Society in 2018.

Prior to commencing his traineeship, Conor worked in a leading Irish Bank as a Business Advisor dealing predominantly with companies in the SME sector. During this time, he also achieved his QFA(Qualified Financial Advisor) designation.

Conor joined Michael J. Staines & Company in October 2022.

Natalie Crowe

Administration

Natalie Crowe joined the office in 2008 and is the first point of contact for those coming to the office.

Kathleen Gillan

Administration

Kathleen Gillen has worked with Michael J Staines & Company for over twenty years and is a key member of the administration team.