Masters of the Bench

Patricia O'Brien is Under Secretary General for Legal Affairs and Legal Counsel at the United Nations.  Formerly, she was Legal Adviser to the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs (2003-08) following service as a Senior Legal Adviser to the Irish Attorney General and as Legal Counsellor at the Irish Permanent Representation to the European Union.  She has advised the Government of Ireland in cases before the International Court of Justice, the European Court of Human Rights and the European Court of Justice.  She holds degrees from Trinity College, Dublin and the University of Ottawa.  She is a member of the Irish Bar (1978) and practised there from 1979 to 1988.