Ex-judge wants to work as barrister

An action by retired judge Barry White, who claims he is being prevented from resuming practice as a barrister by an unconstitutional rule, has opened before the High Court.

Mr White, 71, who sat in the Central Criminal Court for more than a decade before his retirement in 2014, is challenging a Bar Council rule that prevents him practising in a court equal to or lower than the one he presided over. In his case, that means all courts below the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.

Following his retirement, Mr White told the Bar Council of Ireland, the representative body of barristers in Ireland, in a letter of his wish to resume practice as a barrister due to “economic necessity”. The court heard that, during the national emergency following the economic crash, Mr White’s salary and pension were significantly reduced.