Who we are
FLAC Council
Róisín Fitzpatrick - Interim Chairperson
Róisín Fitzpatrick is a Partner in Deloitte leading their Irish immigration practice within the tax department. She has represented a large selection of global firms, including many Fortune 500 companies, as well as smaller businesses and private clients. She has supported her clients across all sectors – advising on immigration workforce planning, immigration technology and regulatory advisory. Róisín is involved in the corporate responsibility programme in Deloitte. Róisín joined the FLAC Council in 2023 having volunteered in FLAC’s legal advice clinics since studying in University of Galway. She supports and volunteers in a number of charities where she is passionate about access to justice.
Roisin has taken on the role of interim chairperson of FLAC.
Maria Elena Costa Sa - Council Member
Maria-Elena Costa Sa has worked in the Public Health, Disability and Equality sectors for over thirty years, both in the U.K. and in Ireland. She is a human rights activist and community development worker, prioritising work with the most marginalised and disenfranchised communities, in peer led initiatives to bring about equitable outcomes. She joined the Terrence Higgins Trust in the late 80’s and remained working with people with HIV and AIDS until moving to Ireland in 2000. She worked with local and national Traveller Projects including Pavee Point, and Clondalkin Travellers Development Group for 18 years and then with people with disabilities at the CRC. She now works with Irish Network Against Racism as their Human Rights and Community Development Lead, capacity building minority ethnic leaders, into leadership roles, or to provide EDI and anti-racism training, or to identify and take cases of institutional racism. She has degree level qualifications in Human Rights and Equality Law, Addiction Studies and Economics and Public Policy and has completed a Masters of Economic Science in Policy Analysis on Ireland’s 2023 National Action Plan Against Racism with the IPA. She sits on the Council of the Free Legal Advice Centre.
Don Crewe - Council member
A UCC graduate, Don Crewe qualified as a Solicitor in 1986 and joined Cork-based legal firm Patrick Buckley & Co in 1988. He advises on all areas of conveyancing, representing both corporate and private clients in the acquisition, financing, development and disposal of commercial and residential property. Don also has particular expertise in licensing law with over 20 years’ experience in this area. He joined the national council of FLAC in 1989, and has been involved with the board ever since. Don is an Accreditied Commercial Mediator and sits on the National Council of the Free Legal Advice Centres (FLAC). He is also a member of the Southern Law Association.
Fiona Donson - Council Member
Fiona Donson is Senior Lecturer in Law and Co-Director, Traveller Equality and Justice Project (TEJP), at the School of Law UCC. Her work is rooted in social justice and access to justice, focusing on how law can entrench the situation of communities that experience discrimination and exclusion. She researches in the areas of access to justice, administrative justice, children’s rights and parental imprisonment. Fiona’s publications include an upcoming volume on Traveller Law with Dr Samantha Morgan-Williams (Clarus Press, 2025), Law and Public Administration in Ireland with Dr D. O'Donovan, (Clarus Press, 2015) and Legal Intimidation: A SLAPP in the Face of Democracy (Free Association Books, 2000). With Dr Aisling Parkes, she has published a number of leading works on parental incarceration and child rights including a co-edited collection (2021) Parental Imprisonment and Children's Rights (Routledge). She is currently part of a collaborative design group developing a Trauma-Informed approach to clinical legal education. Before joining UCC, Fiona was a human rights practitioner based in Cambodia working on child rights and rule of law projects.
Owen Keany - Council Member
Owen is a Junior Counsel. He was called to the Bar in 2007 and is a recognised specialist in the areas of employment, equality and public law. Owen has extensive experience in advising and advocating on behalf of individuals and charitable organisations on a voluntary / pro-bono basis. Owen acted as legal adviser to the Board of the Ballymun Regional Youth Resource. He is a former FLAC volunteer and provides training to FLAC volunteers in the area of employment and equality law. He has also provided advice to FLAC on issues of particular complexity. Owen is a former committee member of the Employment Law Association of Ireland and former Treasurer and committee member of the Employment Bar Association.
Eoin MacAodha - Council Member
Eoin is a Partner in Evershed’s Sutherland’s Dispute Resolution and Litigation. Eoin’s practice is in commercial litigation with a particular focus on regulatory compliance. He has extensive experience in public administrative law and particularly in statutory interpretation. Eoin is the Chair of the Firm’s Pro Bono Committee and has been involved with FLAC since 2017 including the provision of pro bono advice, training to volunteers and bringing public interest litigation. He is a strong advocate of access to justice and the provision of free legal aid.
FLAC Staff
Eilis Barry - Chief Executive
Eilis Barry is the Chief Executive of FLAC (Free Legal Advice Centres), an independent legal, equality and human rights non-governmental organisation which exists to promote access to justice.
Prior to joining FLAC, Eilis was a barrister specialising in all aspects of employment law, anti-discrimination and equality. She was the legal adviser of the Equality Authority and head of its legal section from 2000 to 2009, when she resumed practice at the bar.
A former board member and Chairperson of FLAC, Eilis drafted Case Law Review of Mental Health in the Workplace and authored Equality How?, a guide to taking cases under the Employment Equality Acts 1998-2008 and the Equal Status Acts 2000-2008. She is a regular speaker at conferences and seminars on employment and equality law. She is co-editor of ‘Equality in Diversity, the New Equality Directives’, ICEL No. 29, and former editor of the Employment Law Reports.”
Junaid Abdulkarim - Pila Legal Research Officer
Junaid Abdulkarim graduated with a law degree in 2023. While in college he worked with the UCD Access Programme to ensure equal access to higher education for all. He has a passion for human rights law and currently works as a legal researcher for PILA.
Karan Ahluwalia - Solicitor
Karan initially studied History and Politics before going on to do a Law Degree at the University of Birmingham. He qualified as a solicitor in 2015, and during his career he has worked on a number of high profile cases relating to the deaths of service personnel during the Iraq and Afghanistan war, including Inquests which regularly engaged Articles 1 and 2 of the ECHR. Karan’s Inquest experience also extended to deaths within care homes, as well as deaths resulting from Covid-19 within a clinical setting.
In addition to the above, Karan also has extensive litigation experience, having worked in the fields of Professional Negligence, Human Rights, and Personal Injury, including bringing both civil and ECHR claims on behalf of those affected by the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017. Karan is also highly experienced within the area of Medical Negligence, in which he has represented numerous clients who have suffered from catastrophic injuries as a result of clinical misconduct.
Outside of his legal work, Karan also has experience in public policy, having been involved in separate consultations regarding both coronial and civil litigation reform within the UK, both of which placed particular emphasis on access to justice.
Karan worked in a number of leading law firms both in London and Dublin before eventually joining FLAC in 2024.
Christopher Bowes - Legal Officer
Christopher Bowes BL studied Law and Political Science in Trinity College Dublin. He was called to the Bar in 2020. He was editor-in-chief of the ninth edition of the King’s Inns Law Review (KILR). As a Legal Officer in FLAC, Christopher undertakes policy and research work in the areas of social welfare, housing and equality law. He is currently undertaking IHREC-funded research in relation to integrating human rights and equality standards into social welfare decision-making. He was previously project coordinator of the Equality Action project – a joint project of IHREC and FLAC which aimed to strengthen civil society engagement with the ongoing review of Ireland’s equality legislation.
Erin Brogan - Telephone Information and Referral Line Development Manager
Erin Brogan oversees the running of FLAC's telephone information line.
Erin qualified as a solicitor in 2008 and has worked for a number of years in private practice specialising in family, immigration, litigation, employment and property/probate law. Through the telephone information line, Erin offers first-stop legal information to callers on a variety of legal issues, including family law, immigration, employment law, landlord and tenant law, property disputes, wills and probate, as well as providing callers with information on other services they may avail of, such as FLAC's free legal advice clinics. Erin has also volunteered with FLAC previously in the areas of immigration and family law.Ingrid Colvin - National Volunteers and Clinics Manager
Ingrid joined FLAC in 2019. Her role involved building volunteer capacity in FLAC clinics in Dublin and Cork, through working with local Citizens Information Centres and directly providing support and development opportunities to lawyers who deliver the FLAC clinics. Ingrid has been promoted to the new role of National Volunteers and Clinics Manager. Ingrid will have overall responsibility for the FLAC volunteer team and will continue working with CICs & supporting FLAC's volunteer legal advisors.
Ingrid has worked in the community and voluntary sector for over twenty years. She has managed projects in the area of restorative practice, youth justice and the prevention of sexual offending. She is a Restorative Justice practitioner and trainer with a particular interest in the areas of serious crime and sexual violence. She has managed volunteer involving projects and has volunteered herself both locally and internationally as a human rights observer in a conflict zone.
Catherine Eagers - Legal Secretary
Catherine provides support to the Managing Solicitor and the legal team in FLAC. She has a Diploma in Legal Studies from Crumlin College of Business and Technical Studies in the following subjects: contract law, constitutional law, company law, property law, the law of tort, criminal law and also completed one-year courses in the following subjects: equity, family law, EU law and employment law at DIT, Aungier Street. Prior to joining FLAC Catherine had worked for approximately 23 years in private practice in areas such as family law, conveyancing, personal injury cases, medical negligence and defence litigation.
Gillian Kernan - Research Officer
Gillian started in FLAC as an intern in 2007 and joined the staff in 2008 as Research Officer. She is a graduate of UCD, and holds a B.A (hons) in Economics and Geography, a Master in Economics, and a M.Sc. in Housing Policy focusing on the provision of affordable housing in Ireland. After graduating, Gillian completed an internship with UN Habitat in New York where she advanced her interest in Human Rights. In FLAC she is responsible for quantitative research conducted through analysing data collected from the FLAC centres and FLAC's telephone information line, which provides up-to-date statistics on the key areas of FLAC's work.
Liz Lee - Receptionist
Liz began working at FLAC in 2014 and joined the staff in 2016 as Receptionist. Prior to joining FLAC Liz worked in the civil engineering and corporate sector. Her role in FLAC involves managing the day-to-day reception duties and general administration within the organisation.
Kelsey Lee - Legal Officer
Kelsey is an attorney from the US. She is licensed to practice in both the US state and federal court systems. As a lawyer and researcher, Kelsey has worked with a variety of non-profit organizations, primarily providing assistance to victims of domestic violence and human trafficking. She also served as an Adjunct Professor at Kean University, educating graduate students on human trafficking and working with trauma survivors. Currently working as a Legal Officer with FLAC's Independent Law Centre, Kelsey provides case work and clinic assistance. At the present time, Kelsey is also working on her Phd at Trinity College Dublin School of Law. Her research at Trinity explores the current legal definition of forced marriage and how to provide relief to survivors at the family court level.
Sinead Lucey - Managing Solicitor
Sinead studied law in UCC before going on to do a Masters in International Law in the UK. She returned to Ireland where she qualified as a solicitor in 2000. Sinead then took up a position in the national Traveller rights group, the Irish Traveller Movement, in 2003. She then went on to do further work with the Equality Authority and also provided legal representation before Mental Health Tribunals to individuals involuntarily detained under the Mental Health Act 2001. In 2008 Sinead joined the Irish Human Rights Commission as Senior Inquiry and Legal Officer, eventually becoming part of the newly formed Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission before joining FLAC in 2016.
Sinead Scales - Volunteer Rostering and Support Officer
Prior to joining FLAC in 2020, Sinead graduated with a BA in Applied Languages and Translation studies from Dublin City University and worked in Human Resources in the private sector. In 2020, Sinead graduated with an MA in International Security and Conflict. She works as a News Contributor for a non-profit organisation with particular emphasis on developing humanitarian and human rights issues.
As Volunteer Rostering and Support Officer, Sinead is responsible for rostering FLAC clinics and providing support to volunteers.
Caroline Smith - Media and Communications Officer
Caroline started in FLAC as an intern in 2016 and joined the staff in 2017 as Media and Communications Assistant. She is a graduate of NUI Maynooth, and holds a B.A (hons) in Media Studies and Business. In FLAC her role is to develop, coordinate, promote and manage the media relations and general communications of the organisation.