Paul O'Higgins

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Paul O'Higgins (5 October 1927 – 13 March 2008) was a noted Irish scholar of human rights and labour law.{{cite news|last1=Hepple|first1=Bob|title=Obituary: Paul O'Higgins|url=https://www.theguardian.com/education/2008/mar/25/mainsection.obituaries|accessdate=22 August 2016|work=The Guardian|date=24 March 2008}} The Times credits O'Higgins as "one of the founding fathers of the academic study of labour law and social security law" in Britain.{{cite news|title=Obituary: Professor Paul O'Higgins|url=https://www.thetimes.com/comment/register/article/professor-paul-ohiggins-hrzh607pxvx|access-date=22 August 2016|work=The Times|date=4 April 2008}} According to Professor Keith Ewing, O'Higgins "was at the forefront of an innovation in legal teaching and scholarship, which encouraged lawyers to appreciate how law worked in practice, and to reflect on the social context of the legal rules they examined."{{cite news|author1=Keith Ewing|author-link=Keith Ewing|title=Professor Paul O'Higgins: Innovative scholar at the forefront of studies in British labour law|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/professor-paul-ohiggins-innovative-scholar-at-the-forefront-of-studies-in-british-labour-law-806293.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220525/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/professor-paul-ohiggins-innovative-scholar-at-the-forefront-of-studies-in-british-labour-law-806293.html |archive-date=25 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|accessdate=22 August 2016|work=The Independent|date=8 April 2008}} According to Professor Suttvinder Juss, O'Higgins was "a mentor of unfathomable talent and achievements, who left his mark on all who came under his guidance."{{cite journal|last1=Juss|first1=Satvinder|title=Paul O'Higgins|journal=King's Law Journal|date=2008|volume=19|issue=2|pages=219–221|doi=10.1080/09615768.2008.11423667|s2cid=142537622}}

O'Higgins was educated at Coláiste Iognáid in Galway.{{cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/exceptional-cambridge-academic-and-mentor-1.908172|title=Exceptional Cambridge academic and mentor|newspaper=The Irish Times|access-date=12 November 2018|archive-date=12 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181112183103/https://www.irishtimes.com/news/exceptional-cambridge-academic-and-mentor-1.908172|url-status=live}}, retrieved 12 November 2018 He studied medicine at Trinity College Dublin, but later switched to law, being called to the bars in both England and Ireland, and completing a PhD at the University of Cambridge. O'Higgins' PhD thesis has been described as "one of the most exceptional works in English legal literature".{{cite news|title=Exceptional Cambridge academic and mentor|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/news/exceptional-cambridge-academic-and-mentor-1.908172|accessdate=22 August 2016|publisher=Irish Times|date=29 March 2008}} In 1959, O'Higgins became a fellow of Christ's College, Cambridge and subsequently a lecturer, teaching constitutional law, administrative law, civil liberties and public international law. When promoted to Reader, O'Higgins chose to take the title of "Reader in Labour Law", to signify the special relevance of the subject.

In 1970, O'Higgins was denied the prestigious Regius Professor Chair at Trinity College Dublin, due to his left-wing views and past opposition to flying the Union Jack. However, he was eventually appointed to the position, in 1984. In 1987, King's College London appointed O'Higgins as a chair professor, which he held for five years until his retirement. O'Higgins later returned to Cambridge, where he served as Vice-Master of Christ's College.{{fact|date=January 2022}}

Apart from significant contributions to the field of labour law, O'Higgins wrote an important book on freedom of speech, Censorship in Britain, published in 1972.{{fact|date=January 2022}}