2026 Dublin, Ireland

Observe a criminal trial in session and learn the process differences between Irish and US courts. We will meet at the hotel at 8:30 a.m.

After lunch, we will then walk as a group to the Law Society of Ireland, Blackhall

Professor Dermot Cahill, formerly Dean of Bangor Law School, University of Wales, will describe the main features of the key European Union Institutions and how they interact, both with one another, and with the 27 EU Member States, making laws and policies that govern the European Union’s Internal Market, the largest consumer market in the world where goods, services, workers, capital and corporations’ activities can flow freely between all 27 Member States.

Now in operation since the 1957 Treaty of Rome, the European Union continues to attract new Members and is a favoured destination for US corporations seeking to take advantage of its Four Commercial Freedoms. Ireland, in particular, is a favoured location for US FDI.

The Union’s response to the COVID crisis and to the war in Ukraine has demonstrated that the Union is more than just an economic union, and shows the advantages of working together in common cause, despite varying national interests, demonstrating the key role that the Rule of Law plays at the heart of the Union’s success.

In this session, Professor Dermot Cahill will examine the workings of the European Court of Justice of the European Union, its collegiate nature, its composition, its deliberations in French, its focus on written pleading and short time limits, how other countries can intervene in a case involving another Member State, and its independence in judging disputers not only between the various EU institutions but also its role in interpreting EU law for the benefit of the 27 EU Member States legal systems.

Professor Cahill will consider the Article 267 procedure which allows even the lowliest court or tribunal in the land to directly send a request for a preliminary ruling direct to the Court of Justice in Luxembourg asking it to interpret European Union law that is pertinent to a local dispute before the local court.

Professor Cahill will also demonstrate how all 27 national Supreme Courts have accepted the rulings of the Court of Justice (despite some occasional wobbles) and finally will consider the impact its rulings have had on accelerating human progress across all Member States since 1957.

Morning transportation provided to the airport