Mr James Hamilton

Director of Public Prosecutions

Born on 20 March 1949, Dublin, Ireland.

B.A. (Mod.) in History and Political Science from Trinity College, Dublin University in 1971.

Called to the Bar of Ireland and practised at the Bar of Ireland on the Northern and Dublin Circuits from 1973 to 1981.

In 1981 he was appointed as a full-time legal adviser to the Attorney General of Ireland.

In 1995 he was appointed the permanent head of the Office of the Attorney General and senior legal adviser to the Attorney General. He was a member of the Constitution Review Group which published a comprehensive review of the Constitution of Ireland in 1996. He has acted as legal adviser to the Government of Ireland in relation to a wide range of issues, particularly in the field of constitutional and administrative law, criminal law and human rights. He was responsible for advising the Irish Government on legal issues arising during the negotiations which led to the conclusion of the Northern Ireland Agreement in 1998.

In 1998 he was appointed as the Irish member of the Venice Commission.

In 1999 he was appointed Director of Public Prosecutions of Ireland. The Director is an independent officer who is responsible for the initiation and conduct of criminal prosecutions in Ireland.