The Hon. Mr. Justice William M. McKechnie Mr. Justice McKechnie, who was born in 1951, was educated at Presentation Brothers College, University College Cork, from which he graduated in 1971, University College Dublin and King’s Inns, Dublin.
He was called to the Bar in 1972 and admitted to the Inner Bar in 1987. As a Barrister he practised in the area of commercial, chancery and local authority law, and had a special interest in medical negligence.
He held a number of senior positions in the Bar Council of Ireland for several years and was elected Chairman in 1999 and re-elected in 2000.
He was appointed a High Court Judge in 2000 and took charge of the competition list in 2004. As such he presided over all competition cases both civil and criminal. He made the first Declaration of Incompatibility under the European Convention on Human Rights Act, 2003, in the Transgender case of Foy –v- An t-Ard Chláraitheoir.
Mr. Justice McKechnie was Chairman of the Valuation Tribunal from 1995 to 2000 and since 2002 has been the Chair of the Editorial Board of the Judicial Studies Institute Journal. He has been a member of the Courts Service Board and also of the Rules Making Committee
He was appointed to the Supreme Court in June 2010.
In 2010 he was elected President of the Association of European Competition Law Judges, which represents each of the 27 Member States of the European Union, as well as Judges from the Court of Justice and the General Court of the European Union and from the EFTA Court. He is the third President of the Association, following Sir Christopher Bellamy and Dr. Joachim Bornkamm.
He has written several papers, participated in and presided over many conferences and delivered the 4th Annual CCJHR Lecture at UCC on the 4th March 2010. He holds a Masters Degree in European Law.
He is a Bencher of the Honourable Society of King’s Inns.
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