"Testing blood for alcohol takes a few days. Its a very quick process. But testing blood for drugs "takes weeks if not months" (to quote the Bureau)"

"Turning to Huhne the judge remarked that he had “fallen from a great height’ and that he was ‘somewhat- but not greatly in my view-more culpable” than his ex-wife. He had stronger words for his ex-wife."

Sometimes the difference between success and failure is pure chance. Embrace it.

Imagine facing a judge for the same crime in two different courtrooms. In one, you get one-year in prison. In the other? Ten years.

If you’re asking whether it’s legal, maybe. But if you’re asking whether it’s safe—legally, reputationally, personally—the real answer is clear: You already know.

Dangerous Driving FAQ Ireland | Penalties, Reports & Summons Explained What happens if someone reports me for dangerous driving in...

The 'best performing' witness does not equate to the most accurate or credible. Some people are highly skilled at public speaking and in the witness box can seem cool and assured. But just because someone is calm and composed, does not mean that they are de facto accurate.

Listen to the question and answer the question, not some question you think you should be asked.

Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, the third time is enemy action Yes. There are some occasions when pleading guilty is the only...

"Our legal system doesn’t require you prove your innocence. In fact it doesn’t require you to prove anything. The burden of proof in any criminal case rests with the State"

"You had wondered whether you would disappear behind it. You told yourself you wouldn’t. But you had been lying to yourself and now you would pay the price for that deception too"

Drink Driving Court Process in Ireland: What to Expect O ne of the most common questions I’m asked is: what actually happens in court...

"Get used to further one-star accommodation as you wile away your days in a little room with a chap affectionately known by his friends as ‘Killer’.  

"His rule/whim was simple, and brutal: if you were convicted of drink driving in his court, you went to prison. First offence? It made no difference. The result? Everyone pleaded not guilty. Even where the evidence was insurmountable. Why? Because a guilty plea meant an automatic jail sentence"

"The legal limit for benzoylecgonine is 50ngs. And the mean level for it was a whopping 1032.9ng, more than 20 times the legal limit"

"Most people still think "drug driving" means cannabis or cocaine. They don't realise that prescription medication, taken legally, even with a GP’s advice, can put them off the road"

After all, as most judges see it, if you’ve been convicted of bad driving before, then you’re clearly not learning your lesson. “So why should I give you another chance?”

"It’s not necessarily about what happened. It’s about what could have happened. And under Irish law, risk is enough"

"This is the part people find hardest to accept. You didn’t crash. You didn’t kill anyone. You didn’t even bump a wing mirror. Maybe you weren’t even speeding?

Think of it this way: Alcohol leaves the body in hours. Cannabis can linger for days. Cocaine sometimes even longer. Just because you feel sober doesn’t mean you’re under the legal limit.