William Binchy

William Binchy is former Regius Professor of Laws at Trinity College, Dublin Law School, Ireland from 1992 to 2012.

Binchy was educated at University College Dublin. He is a Barrister-at-Law and practised at the Irish Bar from 1968-70. He was a Research Counsellor to the Irish Law Reform Commission and special legal advisor on family law reform to the Department of Justice. He has been a consultant to the Department of Foreign Affairs and represented Ireland at the Hague Conference on Private International Law. Professor Binchy is a member of the Irish Human Rights Commission. He specialises in private international law, the law of torts and family law.In 2010 he was made an Honorary Bencher of the Honourable Society of King's Inns.

He has been involved in a number of campaigns in connection with proposed amendments to the Constitution of Ireland. In particular, he campaigned:

• in favour of the constitutional ban on abortion in 1983 (successfully);
• against the introduction of divorce in Ireland (successfully in 1986, and unsuccessfully in 1995);
• against the restriction of the automatic, constitutional right to citizenship of all of those born on the island of Ireland (unsuccessfully in 2004).

His uncle was the historian D. A. Binchy. He is the brother of novelist Maeve Binchy. His daughter is the RTÉ producer and former College Tribune editor Sarah Binchy.

He is well known in Trinity College's Law School for his catchphrase "Plaintiff, you lose!"