Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC is a human rights lawyer, and over the past 25 years she has acted in many leading cases in the UK courts, at the European Court of Human Rights, at the Privy Council and before international bodies. She has particular expertise in State accountability, media freedom, journalists’ safety and arbitrary detention. She has secured the freedom of many wrongly detained journalists, cartoonists, writers and activists worldwide. 

Her caseload includes leading the international legal teams for Maria Ressa (Philippines), Jimmy Lai (Hong Kong), Jose Rubén Zamora (Guatemala), BBC News Persian (Iran) and Daphne Caruana Galizia (Malta). Alongside her practice, she is a Commissioner of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, an Adjunct Professor at University College Dublin, Ireland’s Special Rapporteur on Child Protection and an Associate Tenant at Doughty Street Chambers, London.