Barrister Profile

Main Areas of Practice

Administrative Law or Judicial Review
Criminal Law
Human Rights
Personal Injury

Biography

Ciara was called to the Bar of Northern Ireland in 2019. She enjoys a varied practice with a focus on criminal law, appearing regularly in the Magistrates’ Court, County Court and Crown Court.

As a member of the Government Legal Service Civil Panel of Counsel, Ciara has also been engaged in work on behalf of public sector bodies and government departments.

She is also instructed in matters of civil litigation on a regular basis, to include personal injury matters, contractual disputes and injunctions under the protection from harassment legislation.

Ciara has also been instructed to represent detained prisoners in hearings before the Parole Commissioners for Northern Ireland and detained patients in hearings before the Mental Health Review Tribunal.

Qualifications

2023; Called to the Bar of Ireland, The Honourable Society of Kings Inns

2023: Appointed to the Government Legal Service Northern Ireland (GLSNI) Civil Panel of Counsel (C Panel)

2021; Appointed to the Government Legal Service Northern Ireland (GLSNI) Civil Panel of Counsel (D Panel)

2019; Called to the Bar of Northern Ireland, The Honourable Society of the Inn of Court of Northern Ireland

2019; Postgraduate Diploma in Professional Legal Studies, Institute of Professional Legal Studies, Queen’s University Belfast (Distinction)

• Benchers’ Advocacy Prize

• Eoin Higgins Prize (Top Barrister Trainee)

• JPB Maxwell Scholarship (First Placed Bar Trainee)

• Elliott Duffy Garrett Prize (Highest Standard in Company Law Examination)

2018; LL.B. (Hons) Law with Criminology, Ulster University (First Class Honours)

• Robert G Sinclair Prize (Highest Achieving Final Year Law Student)

• Higgins Hollywood Deazley Prize (Highest Achiever in Medical Law)

• No Alibis Prize (Highest Achiever in Company Law)

• Pinsent Masons Prize (Highest Achiever in Contract Law)

• Thompson Reuters Prize (Highest Achiever in European Union Law)

• Pinsent Masons Prize (Highest Achieving Second Year Law Student)

Experience

2019; Benchers’ Moot Competition

2019; Faculty of Advocates and Northern Irish Bar Moot Competition, hosted by the Faculty of Advocates, Scotland