“Solicitor Ammi Burke Challenges High Court Judge’s Relationship with Law Firm Arthur Cox in Unfair Dismissal Case”

In a challenge against the Workplace Relations Commission’s rejection of her claim that she was unfairly dismissed by law firm Arthur Cox, solicitor Ammi Burke has requested that High Court judge Marguerite Bolger recuse herself from the case. Ms. Burke’s grounds for the request include the judge’s prior expression of views on the core issue in the proceedings and her close relationship with Arthur Cox’s senior counsel. The judge asked Ms. Burke if she was seriously suggesting that she should recuse herself simply because she was proposed as a mediator, to which Ms. Burke produced a letter from Arthur Cox’s solicitors that included the judge’s name as a potential mediator. The case, in which Ms. Burke seeks to have the court review the WRC’s rejection of her claim, will continue in the afternoon, with the judge expected to rule on the recusal request.