Benedict O’Connor, Associate
Specialities
Benedict graduated from the University of Queensland, in his native Brisbane, with a dual Bachelor of Laws/Bachelor of Economics in 2016. He was admitted as a solicitor of the Queensland Supreme Court later that year.
Ben was awarded the Hyman Tarlo Scholarship to undertake the Masters of Law program in Trinity College, and completed that program in 2019. His dissertation examined the interaction between consent, capacity, and categorisation in non-forensic mental health admissions in Ireland.
Ben qualified onto the roll of solicitors in 2021 and joined KOD Lyons the following year. He spent the first part of his tenure with the firm appearing daily for our clients in the District Court, before transitioning to his current position as head of our criminal superior courts department, where he is heavily involved in jury trials and other matters in the Circuit Court, Central Criminal Court, and Court of Appeal.
In addition, Ben is experienced in attending garda stations to advise detained clients around the process of being interviewed, and has developed a particular interest in forensic mental health law and the interactions that those with mental health issues have with the criminal justice system.