Brophy Solicitors celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, marking another milestone for the business that has built a reputation as one of Dublin’s leading legal firms specialising in human rights.
And the firm’s principal Kevin Brophy is candid about the company’s efforts regarding the rights of minorities.
“Anything that smacks of injustice fires me up,” he told Metro Éireann.
The Dublin-based firm particularly deals in legal processes for individuals and small businesses, especially those who have suffered from discrimination in some form. Its partners have prided themselves in not only providing a dependable service, but also for taking up those cases others may deem “lost”.
According to the firm’s website, Brophy Solicitors have “sought to vindicate the rights of the vulnerable individual”. The rest of his team, whom Brophy described as committed to and very eager about their work with minority groups, channels this sentiment.
“[The business is] very much a partnership,” he said, “They don’t just see this as a nine-to-five job.”
Brophy himself has taken on numerous cases dealing with the Irish Traveller community, and has developed a special interest in advocating for their civil rights.
Reflecting on his years in business, Brophy noted that his practice seemed to “naturally progress” onto immigration issues over the years. He also said that about 70 per cent of his practice is related to human rights, which reflects the successes that the firm has had.
Notable cases won by Brophy Solicitors have elevated the status of immigrants’ right to live and work in Ireland while applying for permanent residency. For instance, the case of Decsi v Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, challenged a new policy of issuing a ‘Stamp 3’ residency permit to applicants of a residence card which would prohibited them from seeking employment.
The issue of family reunification is also another hot-button issue that has generated a lot of success for the firm. One of their most high-profile cases, Metock and Others v Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, established that spouses of EU citizens – whether or not they themselves have EU residency or citizenship – have the right to live in an EU state.
Brophy’s work aims at the heart of social tensions surrounding immigration and minorities in the country, in a climate where criticism has been levelled at some who circumvent EU and Irish law through so-called ‘sham marriages’.
He also conceded that the relevant Government departments are getting smarter with how to deal with such cases involving obvious discrimination, but he does not think that the problem itself has changed much.
“Discrimination is less blatant now,” he said, “but just as serious.”
Brophy also commented on a general lack of public interest in fighting for equal treatment of minorities, which perpetuates the issues.
“There ware always issues for minorities,” he said, “I think they get bad treatment because... there aren’t many politicians interested in that – there are no votes in it.”
While he did note that those suffering from physical disabilities have raised their profile in recent years and received more community attention in regards to fair treatment, he maintains that there is still no TD considered friendly to Travellers.
On a more personal level, his professional success has been buoyed by support at home. Brophy admitted to some blending of work with family time, but also said that his wife has been perceptive of his passions at work.
“I bring work home with me when I shouldn’t,” he said, “but she understands it’s not just a job, it’s the reason I did law in the first place.”
Amanda Sawit is a journalism student from the United States and is currently an intern at Metro Éireann.
