John Joseph Collins facts for kids
John Collins was born on May 23, 1944. He is an Irish lawyer known as a barrister. Barristers are special lawyers who argue cases in court. He became a barrister in Ireland in 1967. Later, he also became a barrister in England in 1972 and in Sydney, Australia, in 1989. He has worked on many important court cases, mostly in England. In 1987, he started his own law firm called Westgate Chambers in Lewes, Sussex. About 50 barristers work there, helping people all over South East England.
Early Life and Education
John Collins grew up in Killiney, County Dublin, Ireland. He went to several schools, including Presentation College, Glasthule, Cistercian College, Roscrea, and Redemptorist College, Limerick.
While he was studying law at the King's Inns, Dublin, he was chosen to be the leader of the Law Students Debating Society. His first big speech as leader happened during the 50th anniversary of the Easter Rising. This was a very important event in Irish history. Many important people came to hear him speak.
- The President of Ireland at the time, Éamon de Valera, who was involved in the Easter Rising.
- The British Ambassador, Sir Geoffrey Tory.
- Cardinal Conway.
- The Irish Chief Justice, Cearbhaill O Dalaigh, who later became President.
- The Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister), Seán Lemass.
- Many judges, politicians, and other lawyers.
Before he focused only on being a lawyer, John Collins started a company called Squash Ireland. This was the first business in Ireland focused on the sport of squash. He built many squash courts in different places:
- 5 courts in Rathgar.
- 6 courts in Dalkey.
- 8 courts in Clontarf.
He sold Squash Ireland in 1975. After that, he moved with his wife and children to live in Pinner, Middlesex, England.
John Collins has been married twice. He has five children: Patrick, Aisling, Paul, Glenn, and Maria. His children have the nationality of their birth country. However, his youngest daughter, Maria, has Paraguayan nationality and also has provisional residence and nationality in Brazil. She has Irish and British family background and can speak several languages.
Notable Legal Work
John Collins has been involved in several important legal cases.
In Ireland, he was a main lawyer in a big case in 1971. This case was about trying to change the use of land at the Harold's Cross Greyhound track. In 1972, he also argued in court to officially register the word "poteen", though he was not successful.
In England, he took part in many significant legal trials. One of the most well-known cases was a large robbery that happened at Heathrow Airport in 1983. John Collins represented one of the people involved in handling the money from this case.
