Our People

• University College Dublin (BCL European Legal Studies) (1998)
• University of Würzburg, Germany (LLM) (1999)

•  German Irish Lawyers and Business Association (Committee Member)
• German Irish Chamber of Industry and Commerce
• British German Jurists’ Association
• Association of Regulatory and Disciplinary Lawyers

Catherine Allen is a partner in the Administrative and Public Law Unit of Mason Hayes & Curran.  Her client base includes both State and non-State entities.  She also conducts a sophisticated public law litigation practice in areas such as judicial reviews.  Catherine is a German speaker and holds a Master's Degree in German Law from the University of Würzburg (1999).

Catherine Allen is the primary contributor to the joint Mason Hayes & Curran / Public Affairs Ireland 2008 publication, Freedom of Information Sourcebook.  She also frequently publishes on judicial review, freedom of information, and other public law topics.  Her most recent article, Access to Information on Litter, was published in the summer edition of the Irish Planning and Environmental Law Journal.

Areas of Expertise:

• Administrative and Public Law
• Tribunals and Inquiries
• Freedom of Information
• Data Protection

Representative matters:

• Advising the Commissioner for Environmental Information in High and Supreme Court proceedings regarding the interaction between national and EU law, including seeking a reference to the European Court of Justice;
• Advising in relation to a major on-going State inquiry established under the Commissions of Investigation Act 2004;
• Advising the Information Commissioner in a number of appeals against her decisions before the High and Supreme Courts;
• Advising the Disability Appeals Officer in relation to her functions generally and in individual appeals; also providing in-house training to the Office of the Disability Appeals Officer;
• Advising the Legal Aid Board in relation to Court matters and also non-contentious matters regarding its statutory functions;
• Advising the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal in relation to matters before the Courts and in relation to procedural issues;
• Advising numerous public bodies in relation to dealing with freedom of information requests;
• Advising third parties in making submissions regarding requests received by public bodies under freedom of information legislation for access to their confidential or commercially sensitive information.

German Practice:

In addition to her administrative and public law practice, Catherine Allen assists many German clients of Mason Hayes & Curran on a variety of legal issues.  She works closely with other departments of the firm in this regard.  She actively maintains links with German legal and commercial entities, and is a committee member of the German Irish Lawyers and Business Association.

Sample Speaking Engagements and Teaching:

• Executive Accountability and Parliamentary Democracy – 5^th Anniversary Conference of NUI Galway LL.M. in Public Law;
• Access to Information on Litter – seminar delivered to the Local Government and Management Services Board;
• Freedom of Information – A Value-Added Guide – seminars delivered in conjunction with Public Affairs Ireland;
• Judicial Review – lectures delivered on Professional Practice Course in Law Society of Ireland.

Recommendations:

Legal 500, 2011
Catherine Allen is recommended in the area of 'Public Sector'. “The ‘excellent' team at Mason Hayes & Curran is widely praised by clients with Catherine Allen picked out for her ‘practical’ and ‘professional approach’; "she has ‘an innate ability to cut to the chase’. "