On 11th September 2024, after a 35 year long legal fight, the British Secretary of State Hilary Benn announced in the House of Commons:
“… that I have decided to establish an independent inquiry into the death of Patrick Finucane under the 2005 Inquiries Act.”
Peter was nominated as Human Rights Lawyer of the Year in 2000 by Liberty/Justice. He is a former member of the Law Society Council and previously chaired its Criminal Law Committee.
Peter headed up the legal team during the Bloody Sunday Inquiry between 1998 and 2004 where Madden & Finucane represented the majority of the deceased and wounded on Bloody Sunday and represented the families in their pursuit of fair and reasonable compensation.
Peter has a long-standing commitment to the prevention of human rights abuses at home and abroad:
• He travelled to New York City in 1989 to give expert evidence in deportation proceedings against an Irishman held by the US Border Agency. The man successfully challenged the deportation.
• Peter travelled to Capetown, South Africa in 1995 as the legal representative of Relatives for Justice and presented a submission to the Cameron Commission on the Arms Trade.
• Peter travelled to San Francisco USA in 1996 to give expert evidence in proceedings involving two Irishmen held on extradition warrants. They succeeded in challenging the proceedings.
• Peter was part of an Advocate san Frontiers lawyer support mission to the Punjab region in India in 1998 where he supported lawyers representing Sikh victims of State violence.
• Peter travelled to Bogota, Colombia in 2002 to advise three Irishmen who were detained by the Colombian Army and held pending trial. The men were acquitted at trial and returned to Ireland after there were serious concerns about the fairness of the appeal process which was initiated by the State after the acquittals.
• Peter travelled to Israel in 2004 to support the families of the twelve Arab citizens of Israel and one Palestinian shot and killed in 2000 by Israeli police.
• Peter travelled to Peru in August 2013 to advise and assist Michaella McCollum, who was arrested and charged in Lima with drugs trafficking. She has consistently denied that she is guilty of this offence.
Peter is currently Managing Partner at Madden & Finucane and remains involved in a number of high-profile and complex cases.