Mr Michael Quinlan, the Dublin County Registrar of the Circuit Court who announced his resignation yesterday, is likely to return to practise as a solicitor.
Mr Quinlan (45) became Registrar in 1991 and was a key figure in ending the substantial delays in that court due to a severe backlog of cases.
Before that he had worked as a solicitor in the firm Dixon Quinlan, in which his mother, Ms Moya Quinlan, is one of the principals.
While he is expected to take some days before deciding what course to take, his solicitor, Mr Laurence Shields, said yesterday that he was likely to return to private practice. "It is the career he knows," he said.
Unlike the judges who resigned from the bench and are currently prevented from returning to practice at the Bar, Mr Quinlan is free to return to practise as a solicitor.
He was universally liked and respected among court staff, legal practitioners and judges. He was one of the younger breed of county registrars, who are paid on a scale equivalent to that of an assistant secretary of a Government Department: £51,400 to £59,500.
He was effectively chief executive responsible for the efficient running of the court. The Dublin Circuit Court is the busiest in the State and in 1991 saw delays of up to three years before cases were heard.
As the chief administrator of the court Mr Quinlan presided over the dramatic reduction, which was also contributed to by his staff and the judges of the court.
Ms Moya Quinlan was the first and so far the only woman to become president of the Law Society. She is currently a member of the Employment Appeals Tribunal.
Mr Quinlan is a former member of the Council of the Law Society. From Dublin, he is married with six children aged from two to 15.
Full statement issued by Mr Michael Quinlan yesterday:
The Report of the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform was furnished to my Solicitor, Laurence K. Shields, late last evening. I have now read it and consulted with Mr Shields and Senior Counsel.
While I do not accept that I did anything wrong and am comforted by the conclusion that my motives were not in any way improper or initiated by any prospect of personal gain or reward, I am driven to the conclusion that my perception of the confidentiality by which I was bound in relation to my communication with Mr Justice O'Flaherty was mistaken.
I wish to make it clear that at no time did I seek deliberately to mislead the Minister. Having said that, I have this morning tendered my resignation to the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform.
I go with a clear conscience and conclude by expressing my heartfelt thanks to the staff of the Dublin Circuit Court with whom I have had the privilege to work since my appointment in 1991 and my colleagues and friends who have supported me.
I am blessed with a wonderfully supportive wife and six young children.
I need hardly say that the events of the past weeks have taken their toll. Therefore, it is my wish that I and my family be afforded the privacy which is so essential to their welfare and which will enable us to get on with our lives.
20th April 1999