Private Law

About the Private Law Research Group

The Private Law Group at Trinity College Dublin brings together scholars from the field of private law, broadly understood, here at Trinity Law School for the purposes of exchanging insights on private law, scholarly engagement on new and emerging research projects, and disseminating research nationally and internationally.

Our focus is on both core private law areas of the law of obligations including tort, contract, restitution and equity and trusts, and on how these areas overlap or are otherwise connected with other fields. 

The Group's programme of international and national research activities includes workshops, seminars and lectures. 

Director

Dr. Desmond Ryan is the Director of the Private Law Research Group at Trinity College Dublin, leading its programme of seminars, workshops, and lectures. His research focuses on employment and tort law, particularly employers' liability, the contract of employment, vicarious liability, dismissal, and statutory frameworks such as protected disclosures and equality law. Dr. Ryan is also a practising barrister at the Bar of Ireland. His research has been widely cited, including by the superior courts in Ireland and the UK Supreme Court.