Our Team

Olive Doyle
Share This
Profile

Olive is a senior partner in one of Ireland’s largest law firms. Olive has over 25 years’ experience advising in the health care and regulatory sector and is widely regarded as one of Ireland’s leading health care lawyers. Olive has extensive experience advising public sector clients on statutory obligations and statutory interpretation; regulatory compliance; public administrative, constitutional and EU law. Olive’s key areas of expertise include health and social care, administrative law, mental health, investigations and reputation management. She regularly advises and represents public sector bodies in all fora and has a strong record of successfully defending judicial review proceedings, skilled at bringing urgent applications to the high court for treatment orders and providing extensive advice to Review Teams in investigations and inquiries on issues of due process and fair procedures. 

Key experience

  • Capacity issues: represented the HSE In the first case of its kind, when the High Court decided it had jurisdiction to intervene to safeguard the interests, including the detention, of an adult who lacked capacity to make welfare decisions.
  • Mental Health: represented and advised the HSE in the High Court, the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court in numerous cases challenging the Mental Health Act, 2001 and the Criminal Law (Insanity) Act 2006 under article 40 of the Constitution
  • Treatment: obtained High Court orders in relation to the imposition of complex treatment to incapacitated adults and children.
  • Public health: successfully defended judicial review proceedings on behalf of the HSE in relation to the interpretation of the provisions of the Public Health Tobacco Acts.
  • Provision of services: successfully defended judicial review proceedings on behalf of the HSE in relation to the provision of a home birth service, health related service to a child with autism and provision of nursing care in the home.
  • Advisory: advising clients on a wide array of issues, to patient complaints, medical related insurance matters, issues of consent, confidentiality, clinical governance, operational matters, the management of hospital emergences in a diverse range of issues including reputation issues, the termination of life support, management of critical situations involving patient refusal of treatment. 

Membership

  • Law Society Working Group to draft Code of Practice under the Assisted Decision -Making (Capacity) Act, 2015.
  • Law Society’s Mental Health & Capacity Task Force Committee
  • The Medico Legal Society
  • Dublin Solicitors Bar Association Mental Health and Capacity Committee

Recommendations

'Olive Doyle has a detailed and sophisticated knowledge of the law, and a very strong commitment to providing the best advice to clients.' - Chambers Europe, 2023

'Olive Doyle – thorough and expert in her field of healthcare, particularly with regard to capacity and psychiatric disorder -related issues.' Legal 500, 2022

'Olive Doyle has a comprehensive knowledge of the broader legal and corporate environment in which healthcare decisions are made, and is very committed to guiding and advising clients to optimal outcomes.' Legal 500, 2022

Olive Doyle is a particular expert in cases relating to psychiatric healthcare, advising hospitals and public institutions on disputes relating to the withdrawal of treatment, wardships and the detention of patients under the Criminal Law (Insanity) Act 2006. Interviewees enthuse that Doyle "always impresses," and highlight that "she has the knowledge and experience to ensure the safe conduct of litigation through the court system." Chambers Europe, 2022

Interviewees praise Olive Doyle for her "extensive depth and breadth of knowledge" in healthcare disputes. Sources say that she is "dedicated and personable." - Chambers Europe, 2021

Olive is ranked as a ‘Leading Individual”. Legal 500, 2021

‘They provide a focused, deep level of knowledge in a very specialised area efficiently, working as a seamless team, so that immediate support is always quickly available. Olive Doyle provides outstanding leadership of this excellent team.’ Legal 500, 2021

Fantastic to work with," adding that "she has the ability to explain legal jargon so that it is understandable to all." - Chambers Europe, 2020

Olive Doyle is a particularly impressive individual, demonstrating a broad range of exceptional skills. - Legal 500, 2020

"Olive Doyle has a very impressive insight into health care, mental health and wardship matters." - Legal 500, 2020

"Olive Doyle has an ability to see the wider picture and to avoid unnecessary side issues when time is limited." - Legal 500, 2020