Contact details:
Cummeen,
Strandhill Road,
Sligo.
F91 WA43.
Mob – 087-2436006
info@hughsheridan.ie
On the 1st of March 2018 Hugh retired from office based general private practice and from the office of State Solicitor for County Sligo and has closed his office.
However he is available as a Consultant for Locum work for other solicitors in the area of criminal law and general litigation (Both Plaintiff and Defence).
In Criminal cases, Hugh is prepared to accept instructions via solicitor firms on the basis that when the case is concluded, the client shall be returned to the original firm.
Hugh has also resumed practice as a criminal defence solicitor having spent 16 years defending clients in the criminal courts prior to his appointment as State Solicitor in 1989.
Hugh is on the Free Legal Aid panel for Sligo-Donegal-Mayo-Roscommon-Leitrim- Galway and Dublin.
Hugh holds a current practising certificate and PI cover.
Hugh has over 37 years’ experience as a solicitor having qualified in 1982 and opened his own practice in Sligo in 1989, prior to opening his own office he obtained PQE at C E Callan & CoBoyle (Now Callan Tansey & Co), George Maloney & Co Cavan, Thomas Mullaney & Son Sligo, Patrick McCarthy & Co Skibbereen.
In 1998 Hugh was, after a public competition appointed by the Attorney General as State Solicitor for County Sligo to deal with all State litigation business in Sligo and was subsequently re-appointed by James Hamilton the Director of Public Prosecutions in 2011. Hugh completed 19 ½ years’ service as Prosecutor for County Sligo dealing with all indictable crime in Sligo from original submission ( “a file has been sent to the DPP”) to the DPP to final trial in Sligo Circuit Court. Hugh also prepared all Sligo murder and rape trials up to return for trial stage whereupon they were transferred to Dublin.
“I would like to thank the Director of Public Prosecutions Claire Loftus and her team at the office of the DPP for all their kind assistance, guidance and collegiality over the years and their continuing friendship.
Also thanks to all the Claims Managers and Claims Directors who have favoured me with instructions to look after their policyholders in both the Circuit and High Courts over the years”.
Hugh would also like to thank all his private clients and corporate clients for their kind and valued instructions over the years.
Copy report from Sligo Champion on retirement.
https://www.independent.ie/regionals/sligochampion/news/hugh-bows-out-after-19-years-as-state-solicitor-36452772.html
In addition to acting for the DPP and Attorney General, Hugh acted as Prosecutor for various state agencies such as Department of Social Protection in fraud cases, Revenue Commissioners including Customs, National Employment Rights Authority, Criminal Assets Bureau, Road Safety Authority, Health and Safety Authority, ESB Revenue and An Post TV licence evasion.Hugh has in the past also acted as State Solicitor for neighbouring counties Mayo, Donegal, Leitrim and Roscommon.
List hereunder a snapshot of some cases Hugh was involved with for a leading national insurer:
A v B – RTA Sligo HC, full fight.
RTA – Dismissed on the merits after full trial with costs to the Defendant. This case was ably assisted by my local knowledge and choice of a local engineer coupled with prior knowledge of the accident location.
C –v- D, – EL liability case from Mayo – full fight.
EL – Alleged accident at work, massive injuries, liability very poor for the Plaintiff, long drawn out very costly to defend, settled for €10,000 all in. Insured very happy.
E –v- F – RTA Sligo HC full fight.
RTA – Dismissed on the merits with costs to the Defendant. This case brought home to me the need to go out and inspect the locus with an Engineer and preparing maps for Court using local talent. The defence costs were taxed and agreed sum was recovered from the Plaintiff after the placing of a judgement mortgage on the Plaintiff’s house. Cases 1 and 3 where heard on the same time at Sligo HC.
G –v- H – EL case – Galway High Court, full fight but weak on liability from defence point of view.
EL – Plaintiff walk away just before trial – Careful analysis by me of the Plaintiff claim for pain killers linked with a PI inquiries lead to the knowledge that the Plaintiff was “cage fighting”. H’s HR Manager very happy as they had a 100% excess with insurer.
J –v- K – RTA Dublin HC assessment.
RTA – Judge assigned, settled for less than IB.ie award due to discrediting of loss of earnings for overseas deployment in a soldier case, thereby saved €29,000 on damages and all party/party costs. Armed with good military knowledge, I felt that the loss of earnings claim was less then candid, the IB.ie and Insurer had accepted them without comment or enquiry. The Army authorities were very helpful and provided me with two witnesses to establish that the Plaintiff was not qualified due to age and military medical grading to go overseas, Initially the Army authorities were not very helpful but on meeting the Plaintiff’s former Commanding Officer, we recognised each other, I had trained him when he was a recruit in the Army Reserve before he joined the Army.
L –v- N – Dublin HC assessment.
RTA – Judge assigned in High Court Dublin – No Party/party costs paid by insurer. A close read and analysis of the blizzard of medical discovery, local knowledge on my part and associated PI enquiries showed the Plaintiff up in a very bad light leading to the undermining of his case. The Plaintiff was running Karate classes in a gym of a local school, I came across this fact from my local knowledge. (Membership of the board of management).
O-–v- P – Sligo HC, assessment.
RTA – Judge assigned, Settled for well under value as I had Intel that the Plaintiff (Army Officer Cadet) did not want to go to Court as he did not want the Military authorities knowing that he had an injury leading to a PI claim. I gleaned this from a quick phone call to a friend in the Army without disclosing the Plaintiff’s name. Not disclosing that he had a shoulder injury prior to joining the Military would have been frowned upon. If he had disclosed it he might not have been awarded the cadetship.
Q, – Sligo CC and DC full fight RTA
A full recovery from Aviva was obtained in Circuit Court PI case, where I brought a very small car damage claim in the District Court winning 100% leading to the recovery of all outlay.
