James Rooney

James Rooney is a Teaching Fellow in the School of Law at Trinity College Dublin. He also serves as a practising barrister, specializing in public law areas including childcare, employment, immigration, and equality law. His academic roles have included positions such as the Oxford Human Rights Hub Travelling Fellow (2016–2017) and a Research Fellow at Rhodes University in South Africa (2016–2017). He currently teaches modules such as Foundations of Law I, Mooting, and Clinical Legal Education, and supervises a final-year dissertation group on comparative constitutional law.

James Rooney holds degrees from Trinity College Dublin, the University of Oxford, and the Honorable Society of the Kings Inns. His doctorate focused on social rights protection in Ireland, supported by a Government of Ireland postgraduate scholarship and a Trinity College Dublin postgraduate studentship. He was called to the Bar of Ireland in 2020 and has held the Catherine McGuinness Fellowship in Children's Rights and Child Law at the Children's Rights Alliance (2021–2022).

His research emphasizes constitutional law from a comparative perspective, particularly Ireland’s legal framework in relation to other common law jurisdictions. He investigates how judicial culture influences rights protection and explores international human rights law’s role in shaping unenumerated rights. Additional interests include the intersection of public law with social welfare and equality, informed by his legal practice.

James Rooney has been awarded the Government of Ireland postgraduate scholarship and Trinity College Dublin postgraduate studentship, recognizing his academic contributions. His professional engagements include affiliations with the Oxford Human Rights Hub and the Children's Rights Alliance, where he advances research on children’s rights and legal education initiatives.

In his academic advising, he mentors final-year students in comparative constitutional law through a dedicated dissertation group. His research funding includes scholarships from the Government of Ireland and Trinity College Dublin. He has also contributed to collaborative projects at Rhodes University, focusing on legal frameworks in South Africa.