Dr Lauren Kierans

    Law

    Lecturer/ Assistant Professor

    New House

    Biography

    Dr Lauren Kierans BL is a Lecturer in Law at Maynooth University since 2020, where she lectures on whistleblowing law at undergraduate level, as well as a Professional Certificate. She was awarded her PhD on the Irish Protected Disclosures Act 2014 in June 2019.  She has published articles and book chapters on protected disclosures and co-authored the Annotated Statute on the Protected Disclosures Act 2014. She has also produced two country reports on protected disclosures and spoken on this topic at various conferences, CPD events, round-table panel discussions, and legislative briefings at both national and international level. Lauren was awarded the governmental project for the drafting of the protected disclosures procedures guidance for public bodies on behalf of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. Lauren is the founder of the Irish Whistleblowing Law Society (IWLS) and an associate with Transparency International Ireland’s Integrity at Work programme, which provides training to organisations on whistleblowing/protected disclosures. The function of the IWLS is to foster knowledge, interest and awareness in all aspects of whistleblowing law.  Furthermore, Lauren is co-founder of the European Whistleblowing Institute (EWI) and the Director of Education at EWI. The aim of the EWI is to become the leading institute in Europe for advancing whistleblower empowerment, acceptance, and safeguarding. This will be achieved by focussing on the three pillars of education, research, and policy advice. Lauren’s monograph ‘Whistleblowing and the Protected Disclosures Act in Ireland: Law, Rights and Policy’ is due to be published in 2023 by Clarus Press.

    Research Interests

    Dr Lauren Kierans BL research interests lie in the field of whistleblowing law. 

    Research Projects

    Title Role Description Start date End date Amount
    Whistleblowing PI Title: The tension between the employer’s right to manage and the right to free speech and whistleblowing for employees Our proposal aims to explore the following key question: To what extent do free speech and whistleblowing rights conflict/undermine managerial prerogative and demand for employee loyalty? The project will study management’s approach to whistleblowing in both the public and private sector by looking at arrangements in national health services (hospitals) and banking. These are services and industries where whistleblowing has attracted particular attention globally. An important feature of our proposal is that we want to conduct an international comparative study which examines countries with different labour market models – namely, the UK and Ireland (Anglo-Saxon model) and Norway and Denmark (Nordic model). Such research will enable us to make both cross-sectoral and cross-country comparisons. 01/10/2021 31/12/2025 50731.25
    Assessing national whistleblower protection legislation against the minimum standards contained in the EU Whistleblowers Directive and against internationally developed best practice principles. Co-PI Assessing national whistleblower protection legislation against the minimum standards contained in the EU Whistleblowers Directive and against internationally developed best practice principles. Lauren was engaged by Transparency International to assist with their project to develop a methodology for drafting, amending, and assessing national whistleblower protection legislation against the minimum standards contained in the EU Whistleblowers Directive and against internationally developed best practice principles. 01/04/2020 01/09/2020 1000
    Guidance for Public Bodies in the Performance of their Functions under section 21(1) of the Protected Disclosures Act 2014. PI 23/08/2015 12500
    Country Report Ireland, Providing an Alternative to Silence: Towards Greater Protection and Support for Whistleblowers in the EU. PI 24/02/2013 1700
    Country Report Bulgaria, Providing an Alternative to Silence: Towards Greater Protection and Support for Whistleblowers in the EU. PI 01/02/2013 500

    Book

    Year Publication
    2023 Lauren Kierans, Associate Prof. Anthony Kerr SC (2023) **Forthcoming Spring 2023** Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Act 2022. Dublin, Ireland: Round Hall.
    2017 Anthony Kerr and Lauren Kierans (2017) Protected Disclosure Act 2014, Annotated. Dublin: Round Hall.

    Book Chapter

    Year Publication
    2017 Lauren Kierans (2017) 'The Irish Approach to Whistleblower Protection: The Protected Disclosures Act 2014' In: Les lanceurs d’alerte. France : LGDJ.
    2017 Lauren Kierans (2017) 'Whistleblowing' In: Employment Law. Dublin : Bloomsbury Professional.

    Edited Book

    Year Publication
    2021 Lauren Kierans, David Lewis, Wim Vandekerckhove (Ed.). (2021) Selected papers from the International Whistleblowing Research Network conference at Maynooth University. London: International Whistleblowing Research Network, [Full-Text]

    Peer Reviewed Journal

    Year Publication
    2023 Lauren Kierans (2023) '**Forthcoming 2023** - It’s nothing personal: The ineffective exclusion of personal grievances in the Protected Disclosures Act 2014- Baranya v Rosderra Irish Meats Group Ltd'. Irish Supreme Court Review, .
    2023 Lauren Kierans (2023) '**Forthcoming 2023** - Whistleblowing Litigation and Legislation in Ireland: are there lessons to be learned?'. Industrial Law Journal, .
    2022 Lauren Kierans (2022) 'La jurisprudence en matière de lancement d’alerte en Irlande (Case law on whistleblowing in Ireland)'. Revue de droit comparé du travail et de la sécurité social, 2 :84-93. [Link] https://doi.org/10.4000/rdctss.3700
    2022 Lauren Kierans (2022) 'The Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Bill 2022: Is Whistleblowing in Ireland on the Right Track?'. IRISH EMPLOYMENT LAW JOURNAL, 19(1) (1):13-22.
    2022 Lauren Kierans (2022) 'Whistleblowing Case Law in Ireland: Loss, Litigation, and Lessons Learned'. Revue de droit comparé du travail et de la sécurité social, (4):162-171. [Link] https://doi.org/10.4000/rdctss.4724

    Other Journal

    Year Publication
    2016 Lauren Kierans (2016) 'Full Disclosure' Law Society Gazette, .
    2014 Lauren Kierans (2014) 'A Whistle-Stop Tour of the Protected Disclosures Act 2014' Accountancy Plus: The Official Journal of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants in Ireland, .
    2014 Lauren Kierans (2014) 'Whistling in the Wind' Law Society Gazette, .
    2013 Lauren Kierans (2013) 'The Protected Disclosures Bill 2013' Law Society Gazette, .
    2016 Lauren Kierans and David Lewis (2016) 'Using statutory guidance and codes of practice to build on whistleblowing legislation: the Irish experience' La Revue des droits de l’homme, . [Link]
    2015 Lauren Kierans (2015) 'Whistle While You Work: Protected Disclosures Act 2014' Irish Business Law Review, 2 (2) .
    2013 Lauren Kierans (2013) 'An Analysis of the Current Sectoral and Approach and the Proposed Generic Approach to Whistleblowing Law in Ireland' Irish Business Law Review, 1 (1) .

    Conference Contribution

    Year Publication
    2022 Lauren Kierans (2022) Legal Island Annual Review of Employment Law ROI 2022 Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Act 2022 Ireland, .
    2022 Lauren Kierans (2022) CMG HR & Employment Law Conference Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Act 2022 Ireland, .
    2022 Lauren Kierans (2022) European Lawyers Foundation & the European Center for Whistleblower Rights Directive (EU) 2019/1937 of the European Parliament and the Council of 23 October 2019 on the protection of persons who report breaches of Union law Ireland, .
    2022 Lauren Kierans (2022) Irish Supreme Court Review It’s nothing personal: The ineffective exclusion of personal grievances in the Protected Disclosures Act 2014- Baranya v Rosderra Irish Meats Group Ltd Ireland, .
    2022 Lauren Kierans (2022) 2nd European Conference on Whistleblowing Legislation, University of Gottingen, Germany The New Whistleblowing Laws of Ireland Germany, .
    2022 Lauren Kierans (2022) Legal Island New Whistleblowing Laws in Ireland Ireland, .
    2021 Lauren Kierans (2021) Legal Island Annual Review of Employment Law ROI 2021 Whistleblowing Law in Ireland Ireland, .
    2021 Lauren Kierans (2021) Transparency International Secretariat Irish prescribed persons as competent authorities under the EU Whistleblowers Directive Ireland, .
    2021 Lauren Kierans (2021) Transparency International Ireland Integrity at Work Annual Conference The General Scheme of the Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Bill 2021 Ireland, .
    2020 Lauren Kierans (2020) The EU Whistleblowers Directive: Transposition Imperatives for Ireland Irish prescribed persons as competent authorities under the EU Whistleblowers Directive Ireland, .
    2020 Lauren Kierans (2020) Office of the Attorney General: Annual Secondee Conference Protected Disclosures and the EU Whistleblowers Directive Dublin Castle, .
    2020 Lauren Kierans (2020) Chartered Accountants Ireland Whistleblowing and Protected Disclosures: A Practical Guide to Irish Law Ireland, .
    2019 Lauren Kierans (2019) Graphite Annual HR and Employment Law Conference Whistleblowing Ireland, .
    2019 Lauren Kierans (2019) Empowering Public Interest Voice: Integrating Whistleblowing in the European Union Workshop, Maastricht University Whistleblower Protection from the Irish Perspective Netherlands, .
    2019 Lauren Kierans (2019) International Society for Military Law and the Law of War, ‘Silent leges inter Arma?’ Conference III, Bruges, Belgium Whistleblower Protection in the Armed Forces Belgium, .
    2019 Lauren Kierans (2019) International Whistleblowing Research Network Conference I presented my research on the Irish prescribed persons’ system under the Protected Disclosures Act 2014. I was also involved in a panel discussion on ‘The Using of Research in the Teaching of Whistleblowing Courses’ Ireland, .
    2019 Lauren Kierans (2019) Integrity at Work Forum- ‘EU Whistleblowers Directive –what is in store for employers?’ My presentation addressed the key differences between the EU Whistleblowers Directive and the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 Ireland, .
    2019 Lauren Kierans (2019) UCD Health Sciences Centre Masterclass My presentation was entitled ‘Whistleblowing in the Healthcare Sector’ and was attended by workers in the health sector Ireland, .
    2019 Lauren Kierans (2019) National College of Ireland, Special Award in Adjudication Studies I provided training on the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 for the third intake of Adjudication Officers of the Workplace Relations Commission as part of their training course Ireland, .
    2019 Lauren Kierans (2019) UCD Professional Diploma in Employment Law I gave a two-hour lecture on the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 to students of the Professional Diploma in Employment Law at University College Dublin Ireland, .
    2019 Lauren Kierans (2019) University of Edinburgh, School of Law ‘Whistleblowing and the Public Interest: Regulatory Standards and Sectoral Variation’ This presentation was entitled ‘The Prescribed Persons’ system in Ireland: A Comparative Perspective’ Edinburgh, .
    2018 Lauren Kierans (2018) Thirty-sixth Cambridge International Symposium on Economic Crime The Public Interest Disclosures Act 1998- celebrating twenty years of whistleblowing legislation in the UK- success or failure? UK, .
    2018 Lauren Kierans (2018) CMG Irish Charity Compliance Conference- ‘Whistleblowing in the Charity Sector’ This presentation addressed key issues relating to whistleblowing in the charity sector under the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 and the Charities Act 2009 Ireland, .
    2018 Lauren Kierans (2018) Middlesex University, London- ‘Twenty years of PIDA: What should the next decade bring?’ I was involved in a panel discussion on whistleblowing with Sissel Trystad (FAFO, Oslo), Wim Vandekerckhove (University of Greenwich) and Ewen MacAskill (The Guardian) UK, .
    2018 Lauren Kierans (2018) Law Society of Ireland- Diploma in Regulation Law and Practice I gave a guest lecture on the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 and on best practice for the assessment and investigation of protected disclosures Ireland, .
    2017 Lauren Kierans (2017) Integrity at Work Forum- Assessing Employee Grievances and Protected Disclosures This forum consisted of a panel discussion on the differences between, and common features, of protected disclosures, employee grievances, and contractual disputes Ireland, .
    2017 Lauren Kierans (2017) UCD Professional Diploma in Employment Law I gave a two-hour lecture on the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 to students of the Professional Diploma in Employment Law at University College Dublin Ireland, .
    2017 Lauren Kierans (2017) Integrity at Work Annual Conference I was a member of a panel that discussed the challenges and opportunities for employers in complying with the provisions of the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 Ireland, .
    2017 Lauren Kierans (2017) Employment Law Associates Network This presentation addressed the key decisions under the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 Ireland, .
    2017 Lauren Kierans (2017) Guilt Colloquium IV- Whistleblowers, Birkbeck, University of London This presentation consisted of an overview of the provisions of the UK whistleblowing legislation, the Public Interest Disclosures Act 1998, an outline of the strengths and weaknesses of the legislation, and suggestions for reform Ireland, .
    2017 Lauren Kierans (2017) Whistleblowing - The Challenges Facing Public Bodies The seminar provided an overview of the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 and its implications for public bodies. The focus of the presentation was on the challenges facing public bodies in dealing with protected disclosures received from external whistleblowers to prescribed persons and addressed the management of protected disclosures made by employees of public bodies Ireland, .
    2017 Lauren Kierans (2017) National College of Ireland, Special Award in Adjudication Studies I provided training on the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 for the second intake of Adjudication Officers of the Workplace Relations Commission as part of their training course Ireland, .
    2016 Lauren Kierans (2016) Panellist: Transparency Ireland, Integrity at Work Forum- ‘Protected Disclosures Act in Action’ This event was Transparency International's first Integrity at Work Forum. I participated in a panel discussion of the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 in action Ireland, .
    2016 Lauren Kierans (2016) UCD Professional Diploma in Employment Law I gave a two-hour lecture on the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 to students of the Professional Diploma in Employment Law at University College Dublin. Ireland, .
    2016 Lauren Kierans (2016) Panellist: European Economic and Social Committee/ International Bar Association-The Protection of Whistleblowers in Europe: A Legal Framework I participated in a roundtable discussion hosted by the IBA Legal Policy and Research Unit and the European Economic and Social Committee. The purpose of this event was to learn about the initiatives that stakeholders are undertaking in Europe to improve whistleblower protection and to explore ways to resolve common issues of contention in whistleblower frameworks Ireland, .
    2016 Lauren Kierans (2016) CMG Irish Charity Compliance Conference- ‘Whistleblowing in the Charity Sector’ This presentation addressed key issues relating to whistleblowing in the charity sector Ireland, .
    2016 Lauren Kierans (2016) UCD Professional Diploma in Employment Law I gave a two-hour lecture on the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 to students of the Professional Diploma in Employment Law at University College Dublin Ireland, .
    2016 Lauren Kierans (2016) Legal-Island: Protected Disclosures, A Practical Guide to Whistleblowing Procedure and Investigating Disclosures My presentation was entitled 'The Public Sector Guidance and the Workplace Relations Code of Practice on Protected Disclosures Procedures' Ireland, .
    2016 Lauren Kierans (2016) Legal-Island: Protected Disclosures, A Practical Guide to Whistleblowing Procedures and Investigating Disclosures I gave an overview of the draft Public Sector Guidance and the Workplace Relations Commission Statutory Code of Practice for protected disclosure procedures and compared the two, highlighting the fundamental ingredients that all employers should include in their protected disclosure procedures Ireland, .
    2015 Lauren Kierans (2015) Graphite Annual Review of Employment Law 2015 I gave an overview of the key provisions of the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 and discussed the strengths and weaknesses of the legislation Ireland, .
    2015 Lauren Kierans (2015) Employment Law Masterclasses 2015, Handling Employment Law Issues This class examined the impact and potentiality of the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 Ireland, .
    2015 Lauren Kierans (2015) UCD Professional Diploma in Employment Law I gave a lecture on the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 to students of the Professional Diploma in Employment Law at University College Dublin Ireland, .
    2015 Lauren Kierans (2015) Irish Whistleblowing Law Society Inaugural Event: ‘Blowing the Whistle-The Protected Disclosures Act 2014: One Year On’ My presentation was entitled ‘A Whistle-Stop Tour of the Protected Disclosures Act 2014’. The other speakers at this event were Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Brendan Howlin and John Devitt, Chief Executive of Transparency International Ireland. Marguerite Bolger SC chaired the event Ireland, .
    2015 Lauren Kierans (2015) CMG Fitness to Practice Conference 2015 In my presentation, I highlighted the key provisions of the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 relevant to health care professionals and contrasted these with the existing sectoral approach regarding protected disclosures under the Health Act 2004 Ireland, .
    2015 Lauren Kierans (2015) RTÉ Investigative Training Programme - Great Storytelling As part of the training programme for investigative journalists in RTÉ, I was invited to deliver a workshop on the Protected Disclosures Act 2014. This workshop included a seminar on the provisions of the Act and an interactive whistleblowing scenario Ireland, .
    2015 Lauren Kierans (2015) Legal-Island ‘Whistleblowing and Compliance-How to Comply with the Protected Disclosures Act and Avoid Expensive Claims’ My presentation was entitled ‘The Characteristics of Good Protected Disclosures Procedures’ Ireland, .
    2015 Lauren Kierans (2015) Department of Public Expenditure and Reform ‘Protected Disclosures Act 2014- Consultation on Draft Guidance for Public Bodies’ My presentation was entitled ‘The Characteristics of Good Protected Disclosures Procedures’. The other speakers at this event were Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Brendan Howlin, Norah Mason of the Health Service Executive and Noel Tallon of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform Ireland, .
    2015 Lauren Kierans (2015) UCD Professional Diploma in Employment Law I gave a lecture on the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 to the students of the Professional Diploma in Employment Law at University College Dublin Ireland, .
    2015 Lauren Kierans (2015) National College of Ireland, Special Award in Adjudication Studies I provided training on the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 for the newly appointed Adjudication Officers of the Workplace Relations Commission as part of their training course Ireland, .
    2014 Lauren Kierans (2014) Prime Time team at RTÉ I outlined the key provisions of the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 to members of the Prime-Time team at the Irish national broadcaster RTÉ Ireland, .
    2014 Lauren Kierans (2014) Cleraun Media Conference My presentation was entitled: ‘Whistleblowing legislation: implications for media professionals.’ Ireland, .
    2014 Lauren Kierans (2014) Bar Council of Ireland ‘Blowing the Whistle in the Workplace - Challenges and Protections’ My paper was entitled ‘Protected Disclosures Act 2014 - Implications and Challenges’ Ireland, .
    2014 Lauren Kierans (2014) Employment Law Association of Ireland This presentation was entitled ‘Protected Disclosures Act 2014’ Ireland, .
    2014 Lauren Kierans (2014) Legal-Island ‘Whistleblowing and Compliance-How to Comply with the Protected Disclosures Act and Avoid Expensive Claims’ My presentation was entitled ‘Understanding Key Provisions of the Protected Disclosures Act 2014’ Ireland, .
    2014 Lauren Kierans (2014) International Society for Labour and Social Security Law XI European Regional Congress ‘Whistleblowing’ This presentation was entitled ‘Whistleblowing Law in Ireland’ Ireland, .
    2014 Lauren Kierans (2014) Employment Bar Association of Ireland ‘Whistleblowing and the Law’ I presented my paper ‘Key Provisions of the Protected Disclosures Act 2014’ Ireland, .
    2013 Lauren Kierans (2013) Leinster House Cross-Party Briefing ‘Protected Disclosures Bill 2013’ Prior to the government debates on the Protected Disclosures Bill 2013, I was invited to Parliament to give a presentation entitled ‘Key Provisions of the Protected Disclosures Bill 2013’ to opposition members of Government Ireland, .
    2012 Lauren Kierans (2012) Irish Association of Law Teachers Annual Conference I presented my paper ‘An Analysis of the Current Sectoral Approach and the Proposed Generic Approach to Whistleblowing Law in Ireland’ Ireland, .

    Electronic Article

    Year Publication
    2021 Lauren Kierans and Kate Kenny (2021) What protections do whistleblowers have under Irish and EU law?. [Electronic Article]
    2020 Lauren Kierans nad Kate Kenny (2020) Can organisations be kept honest during the pandemic?. [Electronic Article]

    Gov. Report or Document

    Year Publication
    2015 Lauren Kierans (2015) Guidance for Public Bodies in the Performance of their Functions under section 21(1) of the Protected Disclosures Act 2014. [Gov. Report or Document]

    Media

    Year Publication
    2021 Lauren Kierans (2021) RTÉ Radio 1 News at One: Protected disclosures and the Department of Health whistleblower. [Media]
    2020 Lauren Kierans (2020) RTÉ Investigates: Whistleblowers in Ireland. [Media]
    2019 Lauren Kierans (2019) RTÉ Radio 1: Today with Seán O’Rourke: EU Whistleblowers Directive. [Media]
    2014 Lauren Kierans (2014) RTÉ Radio 1: Drive Time, The Protected Disclosures Act 2014. [Media]
    2014 Lauren Kierans (2014) RTÉ Radio 1: Morning Ireland, The Garda Inspectorate Report ‘The Fixed Charge Processing System- A 21st Century Strategy’ and the Protected Disclosures Bill 2013. [Media]
    2014 Lauren Kierans (2014) Near FM: The Brief, The Protected Disclosures Bill 2013 and the Garda whistleblowers controversy. [Media]
    2013 Lauren Kierans (2013) Near FM: The Brief, Whistleblower legislation in Ireland. [Media]

    Monograph:- Non Peer Reviewed

    Year Publication
    2023 Lauren Kierans (2023) **Forthcoming Autumn 2023** - Whistleblowing and the Protected Disclosures Act in Ireland: Law, Rights and Policy. Dublin, Ireland: [Monograph:- Non Peer Reviewed] [Link]

    Newspaper Articles

    Year Publication
    2019 Lauren Kierans (2019) Sean Pollock, ‘‘Whistleblowers in Ireland ‘in dark on how to make complaint’’ The Sunday Times (Dublin, 6 January 2019): This article presented my research on the prescribed persons’ system under the Protected Disclosures Act 2014. [Newspaper Articles]
    2014 Lauren Kierans (2014) Sunday Business Post: ‘Whistleblowers law brings obligations for employers’ Sunday Business Post (Dublin 20 July 2014) 15. [Newspaper Articles]

    Guidelines for Practice

    Year Publication
    2020 Andy McDevitt and Marie Terracol. Contributors: John Devitt, Jan Dupák, Giorgio Fraschini, Dr Lauren Kierans BL. (2020) ASSESSING WHISTLEBLOWING LEGISLATION Methodology and guidelines for assessment against the EU Directive and best practice. [Guidelines for Practice] [Link]
    2017 Lauren Kierans (2017) Guidance on Protected Disclosures for the Charities Regulator. [Guidelines for Practice]

    Statute

    Year Publication
    2023 Lauren Kierans, Associate Prof. Anthony Kerr SC (2023) **Forthcoming 2022 Version**. Irish Current Law Statutes Annotated - Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Act, 2022, Annotations. [Statute]

    Webinar

    Year Publication
    2022 Lauren Kierans (2022) Whistleblowing and Legal Support: In conjunction with Cork University Business School and NUI Galway I organised a webinar series ‘Whistleblowing and External Partners’. [Webinar]
    Certain data included herein are derived from the © Web of Science (2023) of Clarivate. All rights reserved.

    Professional Associations

    Description Function From / To
    European Whistleblowing Institute (EWI) I am a co-founder of EWI and the Director of Education at EWI. EWI’s aim is to become the leading institute in Europe for advancing whistleblower empowerment, acceptance, and safeguarding. This will be achieved by focussing on the three pillars of education, research, and policy advice. 01/01/2022 -
    Parrhesia Inc (π) Member of the Academic Council of Parrhesia Inc (π). A charity in the UK focusing on the promotion and advancement of research into whistleblowing and the protection of whistleblowers and their human rights. 01/04/2021 -
    Society of Legal Scholars (SLS) The SLS is the is the learned society for those who teach law in a university or similar institution or who are otherwise engaged in legal scholarship. 01/01/2019 -
    International Whistleblowing Research Network (IWRN) The IWRN is an interdisciplinary research network specialising in the area of whistleblowing. 01/01/2014 -

    Honors and Awards

    Date Title Awarding Body
    01/04/2021 Teaching Hero National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning and the Union of Students in Ireland

    Employment

    Employer Position From / To
    Transparency International Ireland Associate, 2017 - To date 01/05/2019 -
    Maynooth University Lecturer in Law, 2019 - To date 01/09/2019 -
    Self-Employed Barrister-at-Law, 2008 - To date 01/01/2008 -
    University College Dublin Associated Lecturer in Law, 2019-2020 01/01/2019 - 31/07/2020
    Peninsula Ireland and Graphite HRM Associated Presenter, 2019-2020 01/01/2019 - 31/01/2020
    Maynooth University Associated Lecturer in Law, 2016-2018 01/09/2016 - 31/08/2018
    Middlesex University Lecturer in Law, 2015-2017 01/01/2015 - 30/09/2017
    American University in Bulgaria Assistant Professor in Business Law, 2012-2013 01/01/2012 - 01/01/2013

    Education

    Start date Institution Qualification Subject
    Middlesex University, London PhD An Empirical Study of the Purpose of the Irish Protected Disclosures Act 2014
    Trinity College Dublin LL.M International and European Business Law International and European Business Law
    Dublin Business School Diploma in Employment Law Employment Law
    The Honorable Society of King’s Inns Barrister-at-Law Degree Specialisation: Employment Law; Immigration and Asylum Law
    National University of Ireland, Galway Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) Law
    National University of Ireland, Galway Bachelor of Arts Degree (International) Legal Science and English
    Rijks University, Groningen, The Netherlands Erasmus International Law, European Law, and English.

    Consultancy

    Client Description
    Joint Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach I made an oral submission before the on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach during their hearings on The General Scheme of the Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Bill 2021.
    National Disability Authority I was engaged by the National Disability Authority to re-draft their Protected Disclosures Policy.
    Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform ‘Draft Heads of the Protected Disclosures in the Public Interest Bill 2012’. I made a submission before the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform entitled ‘Preliminary Observations to the Joint Committee on the General Scheme of the Protected Disclosures in the Public Interest Bill 2012’.
    Higher Education Authority I was engaged by the National Disability Authority to re-draft their Protected Disclosures Policy.
    An Garda Síochána I was engaged by An Garda Síochána to re-draft their Protected Disclosures Policy.
    Department of Justice/ Groups of States against Corruption (GRECO) Author: Gender Dimensions of Corruption.
    Joint Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach I drafted a written submission on The General Scheme of the Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Bill 2021 to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and the Taoiseach.
    UK Whistleblowing All-Party Parliamentary Group I was a member of a six-member expert panel tasked with redrafting the Office of the Whistleblower Bill in the UK.
    Department of Public Expenditure and Reform I co-authored a policy paper titled ‘Transposing the EU Whistleblower Directive into National Law: What Every Policymaker Should Know’ with Dr. Meghan Van Portfliet, Prof. Kate Kenny, Dr. Vigjilenca Abazi, and Dr. John Cullen.

    Outreach Activities

    Organisation Type Description
    Transparency International Ireland (Transparency Legal Advice Centre) Civic Society Transparency International Ireland (Transparency Legal Advice Centre). Former Director and Company Secretary (2015-2017).
    Transparency International Ireland Civic Society Transparency International Ireland. Legal Advisor. (2011-2014)
    Free Legal Advice Centre Civic Society Free Legal Advice Centre. Legal Advisor. (2014-2015)

    Teaching Interests

    Dr Lauren Kierans BL teaches Whistleblowing Law and Practice to final year LLB students. This is the first and only course on whistleblowing law delivered at a university in Ireland. Lauren also delivers a Professional Certificate in Whistleblowing Law, Practice and Policy for those who work or have a view to working in this area. For enquiries on this course, please email Lauren directly at lauren.kierans@mu.ie. Furthermore, Lauren teaches tort law to our first-year students here at Maynooth University. Lauren is currently enhancing her teaching skills by undertaking a Post-Graduate Diploma in Higher Education at the Maynooth University Centre for Teaching and Learning. Additionally, Lauren is currently undertaking the Advanced Diploma in Data Protection Law at The Honorable Society of King’s Inns.