[1] In 2004, she succeeded John L. Murray, as Ireland's appointee on the European Court of Justice (ECJ).
[2][3] Appointed initially for a five-year term, she was the first female appointee to the European Court of Justice but had her mandate renewed in 2003.
[1] She became a barrister in 1972; practiced as legal adviser, Patents and Trade Marks Agents (1973–1979) and became a Senior Counsel in 1995.
[citation needed] The Supreme Court nominated her to act in three referrals by the President of Ireland querying the constitutionality of new legislation before she became a judge.
[citation needed] In 2001, the Irish Times reported that she was an owner of the Four Seasons Hotel in Ballsbridge[5] She has been a lecturer in Legal Systems and Methods and Averil Deverell Lecturer in Law at Trinity College Dublin.