Barrister Profile

Main Areas of Practice

Administrative Law or Judicial Review
Commercial Law
Land Law
Personal Injury

Biography

Maria was called to the Bar of Northern Ireland in 2010 and regularly appears in the High Court in Commercial, Chancery, Judicial Review, Personal Injury and Clinical Negligence actions.

Maria has extensive experience acting for financial institutions seeking debt recovery and realisation of security. Maria also has a well-established Lands Tribunal practice, regularly acting in rating appeals and land vesting compensation claims.

Maria is on the Government Legal Service for Northern Ireland Junior Counsel A Panel and the Directorate of Legal Services Commercial Law and Public Procurement and Debt Recovery and Residential Charges panels.

Maria has appeared in the Court of Appeal in Northern Ireland and the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom.

Maria is the current Secretary of the Commercial Bar Association and a member of the Insolvency Rules Committee.

Qualifications

First Class Honours in Law from Queen’s University Belfast in 2009.

Postgraduate Certificate in Professional Legal Studies with credit from the Institute of Professional Legal Studies, Queen’s University Belfast in 2010.

Experience

In 2010 Maria was involved in the Public Procurement action Traffic Signs and Equipment Limited v Department for Regional Development & another [2011] NIQB 25. On behalf of the Plaintiff, and as part of a three Counsel team, Maria played a key role in researching the law and in written advocacy.

In January 2014 Maria made a successful application for a protective costs order on behalf of a Respondent to an appeal by the Commissioner of Valuation before the Lands Tribunal for Northern Ireland in Commissioner of Valuation v Doherty VT/4/2012.

In March 2014 Maria went on to successfully defend the appeal in Commissioner of Valuation v Doherty VT/4/2012 which concerned agricultural rate relief in the context of a retired rate payer who let a small holding of agricultural land in conacre. The key question for the Lands Tribunal was whether the primary occupation of the Respondent was carrying on agricultural operations so as to entitle her to rate relief under the Rates (Northern Ireland) Order 1977. Coghlin LJ rejected the argument of the Appellant that the Respondent’s primary occupation was that of a housewife and held that after she retired the agricultural operations performed by her constituted, in practical terms, her sole and, therefore, her primary occupation in accordance with the policy of the legislation.

In November 2018 Maria appeared in the Court of Appeal on behalf of the Department of Finance in The Department of Finance v Mary Quinn [2019] NICA 41 which was an appeal from the Lands Tribunal by way of a Case Stated on a Point of Law in respect of an application for rates relief in the form of Disabled Person’s Allowance. The issue in the case was one of statutory interpretation and Maria’s skeleton argument was instrumental in securing a decision from the Court of Appeal in favour of her client and providing clarity on the approach to interpretation of the relevant legislation.

In November 2019 Maria acted on behalf of the Commissioner of Valuation in William Young v The Commissioner of Valuation VT/1/2018 in the Lands Tribunal for Northern Ireland successfully defending an appeal concerning the implications of a Planning Enforcement Order on the rating assessment of a dwelling house.

In February 2022 Maria appeared on behalf of the Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in an Application for Leave to Apply for Judicial Review by Alan McKeown [2023] NIKB 37. The case concerned water pollution at a trout hatchery in the Ballinderry River, which is an Area of Special Scientific Interest. The Applicant argued that Maria’s client had failed to discharge its duties under the Water (Northern Ireland) Order 1999 in of investigating and bringing enforcement action in respect of water pollution. Maria presented a substantial factual background which persuaded the Court to refuse leave to apply for judicial review.

In June 2025 Maria appeared in the Court of Appeal on behalf of the Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in an Application by Noeleen McAleenon for Judicial Review [2025] NICA 44. This was a hearing remitted from the Supreme Court where Maria appeared in June 2024. The case concerned landfill gas emissions and whether Maria’s client had discharged its statutory duties and complied with the Appellant’s ECHR Article 8 rights as a specialist regulator in the field of environmental protection. The Court of Appeal held that Maria’s client had not breached its statutory duties or the Appellant’s human rights.

Maria also has experience acting on behalf of children and vulnerable adults in public law challenges relating to the care and education systems in Northern Ireland and on behalf of Plaintiffs in clinical negligence claims relating to obstetric and gynaecological care and treatment.