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 and an associate with Transparency International Ireland’s Integrity at Work programme, which provides training to organisations on whistleblowing/protected disclosures. Lauren’s monograph ‘Whistleblowing and the Protected Disclosures Act in Ireland: Law, Rights and Policy’ is due to be published in 2022 by Clarus Press.

    Research Interests

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

    Research Projects

      Project Role Funding Body / Program Description Start Date End Date Award (€)
    Whistleblowing PI Norwegian Research Council / Researcher Project for Scientific Renewal 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-OCT-21 31-DEC-25 50731.25

    Books

      Year Publication
    2017 Protected Disclosure Act 2014, Annotated.
    Anthony Kerr and Lauren Kierans (2017) Protected Disclosure Act 2014, Annotated. Dublin: Round Hall. [Details]

    Book Chapters

      Year Publication
    2017 'The Irish Approach to Whistleblower Protection: The Protected Disclosures Act 2014'
    Lauren Kierans (2017) 'The Irish Approach to Whistleblower Protection: The Protected Disclosures Act 2014' In: Disant and Pollet-Panoussis (eds). Les lanceurs d’alerte. France: LGDJ. [Details]
    2017 'Whistleblowing'
    Lauren Kierans (2017) 'Whistleblowing' In: Maeve Regan and Ailbhe Murphy (eds). Employment Law. Dublin: Bloomsbury Professional. [Details]

    Edited Books

      Year Publication
    2021 Selected papers from the International Whistleblowing Research Network conference at Maynooth University
    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] [Details]

    Other Journals

      Year Publication
    2016 'Using statutory guidance and codes of practice to build on whistleblowing legislation: the Irish experience'
    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, . [Details]
    2015 'Whistle While You Work: Protected Disclosures Act 2014'
    Lauren Kierans (2015) 'Whistle While You Work: Protected Disclosures Act 2014' Irish Business Law Review, 2 (2) . [Details]
    2013 'An Analysis of the Current Sectoral and Approach and the Proposed Generic Approach to Whistleblowing Law in Ireland'
    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) . [Details]

    Conference Contributions

      Year Publication
    2020 Irish prescribed persons as competent authorities under the EU Whistleblowers Directive.
    Lauren Kierans (2020) Irish prescribed persons as competent authorities under the EU Whistleblowers Directive. [Oral Presentation], The EU Whistleblowers Directive: Transposition Imperatives for Ireland, Maynooth University [Details]
    2020 Protected Disclosures and the EU Whistleblowers Directive.
    Lauren Kierans (2020) Protected Disclosures and the EU Whistleblowers Directive. [Oral Presentation], Office of the Attorney General: Annual Secondee Conference, Dublin Castle [Details]
    2019 Whistleblowing.
    Lauren Kierans (2019) Whistleblowing. [Oral Presentation], Graphite Annual HR and Employment Law Conference, Ireland [Details]

    Electronic Article

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

    Gov. Report or Document

      Year Publication
    2015 Guidance for Public Bodies in the Performance of their Functions under section 21(1) of the Protected Disclosures Act 2014.
    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 [Details]

    Newspaper Articles

      Year Publication
    2014 Whistleblowers law brings obligations for employers.
    Lauren Kierans (2014) Whistleblowers law brings obligations for employers. Newspaper Articles [Details]

    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. She 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.kierans@mu.ie. Lauren also teaches tort law to first-year students. She is currently enhancing her teaching skills by studying for a PG Diploma in Higher Education at the Maynooth University Centre for Teaching and Learning.