Barrister Profile

Main Areas of Practice

Administrative Law or Judicial Review
Coroners or Inquests
Employment Law
Personal Injury

Biography

I have a broad civil practice encompassing the above areas. In addition to extensive experience before the industrial and fair employment tribunals, I also have an interest in regulatory law and practice, and appear regularly in Police Misconduct Hearings and before the Police Appeals Tribunal. Since 2015, I have also held appointment as Legal Assessor to the Nursing and Midwifery Council. I am presently a member of the Government Legal Service’s ‘A’ Panel of Junior Counsel, having previously held memberships of its ‘B’ and ‘C’ panels. In addition to my day to day duties as a member of the Bar, I have also, since 2014, held appointment as a Legally Qualified Chair of Social Security Appeals. From 2005 to 2017 I was a visiting tutor and lecturer in Equality Law at the IPLS. I was an elected member of the Bar Council from 2004-2006 and from 2012-2016.

Qualifications

LL.B, QUB

Publications

Ross v Precision Industrial Services Ltd [2005] NICA 25

Landlords Associationfor Northern Ireland, Re An Application for Judicial Review [2005] NIQB 22

Fearnon & Ors v Smurfit Corrugated Cases Lurgan (Ltd) [2008] NICA 45

Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service v McNally [2012] NICA 59

Inquest into the Death of Damien McDonald

Department of the Environment, Re Judicial Review [2014] NIQB 4

Inquest into the Death of Patrick Duffy [14 March 2016]

Irwin, Re Judicial Review [2017] NIQB 75

Inquest into the Death of Manus Deery [2017] NICoroner 1

Inquest into the Death of Joseph Parker [24 November 2017]

Inquest into the Death of Daniel Carson [2019] NICoroner 7