Ciaran Mulholland appointed to represent Conor McGregor as he considers Supreme Court appeal

Mr Mulholland announced yesterday that his firm, Mulholland Law, will act for Mr McGregor after he parted ways with defence firm Michael J Staines & Co. Mr McGregor’s friend James Lawrence will also be represented by Mulholland Law. A notice of change of solicitor was filed on Thursday.

The move follows the Court of Appeal’s dismissal in July of Mr McGregor’s challenge to a High Court jury finding that he raped Nikita Hand in 2018. The jury awarded Ms Hand almost €250,000 in damages.

Mulholland Law is expected to consider whether McGregor has grounds to take the case to the Supreme Court.

The Belfast Telegraph reports that Mulholland Law also confirmed yesterday that it had lodged High Court proceedings on behalf of Mr Lawrence, seeking redress for what it described as a “malicious prosecution” against him. A spokesperson said the case brought by Ms Hand was “frivolous” and “unnecessary”, exposing Mr Lawrence to costs, media scrutiny and reputational harm.

A jury had cleared Mr Lawrence of assaulting Ms Hand at the Beacon Hotel in Sandyford in December 2018. His legal costs were paid by McGregor, but both the High Court and the Court of Appeal refused to award them to him, noting that the arrangement was “shrouded in mystery”.