Injuries Resolution Board Conference 2024

Please see the full conference schedule from the Injuries Resolution Board Conference here.

You can find a link to all the speaker biographies from the Injuries Resolution Board Conference here

Head of Mediation, Injuries Resolution Board

Hilary McGouran is Head of Mediation at the Injuries Resolution Board, where she has been working over the past year on setting up and rolling out the board’s new mediation service. Prior to 2023, Hilary worked for over 30 years in Irish media as a journalist and editor.

Hilary presented on mediation at the Injuries Resolution Board and took part in the morning Q&A.

Please see Hilary's presentation here. 

Former Director of CEDR, Solicitor and Mediator

Tony Allen is an English solicitor who specialised in PI and clinical negligence claims in private practice for 30 years for plaintiffs and insurer defendants. Accredited as a mediator in 1996, he was both mediator and mediation advocate while still with his law firm. He joined the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR) as a fulltime Director in 2000, responsible both for growing mediation in the injury sector and for developing CEDR’s thinking about the position of mediation within civil justice and is still a senior consultant to CEDR.

Tony presented on “Resolving injury claims: looking around and looking forward” and also took part in the morning Q&A and international panel. 

Please see Tony's presentation here.

Legal Counsel, British Columbia Civil Resolution Tribunal (CRT)

Lauryn is Legal Counsel for the British Columbia Civil Resolution Tribunal (CRT). The CRT is an online administrative tribunal which resolves many different types of civil claims. Lauryn obtained her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Victoria in 2015 and her Master of Laws degree from Osgoode Hall in 2021.

Lauryn presented on British Columbia’s Civil Resolution Tribunal (CRT) Online Dispute Resolution & Personal Injury Claims.

Please see Lauryn and Shelly's presentation here. 

Acting Chair Acting Chair with the Civil Resolution Tribunal CRT, Vice Chair, Small Claims, Vice Chair of Intimate Images

Shelley Lopez is currently the Acting Chair with the Civil Resolution Tribunal (CRT), and since February 2017 has also been the CRT’s Vice Chair, Small Claims. In December 2023, she also became the CRT’s Vice Chair of Intimate Images Claims.

Between 2011 and her 2017 appointment to the CRT, Ms. Lopez was a Vice Chair with the Workers’ Compensation Appeal Tribunal. Between 2006 and 2011, Ms. Lopez was a staff lawyer with the Law Society of BC. Before that, she practiced general civil litigation, with a focus on personal injury claims.

Shelley and Lauryn both took part in the morning international panel discussion and Q&A.

Please see Lauryn and Shelly's presentation here. 

Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, Director, Australian Centre for Justice Innovation

Associate Professor Genevieve Grant is Director of the Australian Centre for Justice Innovation in the Law Faculty at Monash University in Australia. She is co-author of Luntz & Hambly's Torts: Cases, Legislation and Commentary (LexisNexis, 9th ed, 2021) and Victorian Statutory Compensation Schemes (LexisNexis, 2021). Genevieve's research uses empirical methods to evaluate justice system performance, including the design and operation of dispute resolution, civil justice and injury compensation systems.

Genevieve presented on personal injury trends and challenges: Insights from Australia and took part in the morning International Panel.

Please see Genevieve's presentation here. 

Manager, Rehabilitative Training Unit, National Rehabilitation Hospital, Chartered Counselling Psychologist PsSI

Maureen has worked with individuals with acquired brain injury and their families for over 28 years. Maureen worked with Headway for 4 years from 1996 to 2000, being responsible for developing the Information and Counselling Services and developing a network of support groups. Maureen then worked from 2000 to 2016 as Counselling Psychologist in the Rehabilitative Training Unit, National Rehabilitation Hospital, providing group and individual psychological interventions to adults with acquired brain injury attending an outpatient programme and their families.

Maureen presented on the injured party experience – a different perspective.

Please see Maureen's presentation here. 

Chairperson, Amárach Research

Gerard O’Neill is Chairman of Amárach Research and leads the strategic consulting practice in Amárach, working with senior management teams to create resilient strategies for the future. He is a graduate of the London School of Economics and worked previously in the Henley Centre for Forecasting and An Post. Gerard is a Fellow of the Marketing Institute of Ireland and has recently served as Chairperson of MII.

Gerard presented on Learning from Research and Data and you can see his presentation here. 

Head of Research & Policy, Injuries Resolution Board

Dr Lauren Swan is the Head of Research & Policy at the Injuries Resolution Board. As part of this role, Lauren manages internal and external research projects, to inform policy development in the areas of accident prevention, health and safety and insurance reform. Lauren completed her PhD at the Department of Clinical Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, in collaboration with the Health Service Executive, focusing on strategies to improve state-funded home support services in Ireland.

Lauren presented on Not just a statistic: The personal and economic cost of accidents in Ireland. 

Please see Lauren's presentation here. 

Chief Executive of the Injuries Resolution Board

Rosalind Carroll is the Chief Executive of the Injuries Resolution Board, Ireland’s independent State Body established to support the fair, prompt, and transparent resolution of personal injuries claims without the need for unnecessary litigation. She was previously CEO of the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB), the regulatory body for the rental sector. Ms Carroll’s senior experience has also included positions at the Housing Agency, the Department of the Environment and Dublin City Council. Rosalind also holds a number of other non-executive director roles.

Please see Rosalind's presentation here.