David Lavery

Julie-Ann McCaffrey, a construction and infrastructure lawyer at DWF, has resigned her position on the Council stating on her LinkedIn that: “there comes a point when remaining at the table matters less than remaining true to your principles”. Ms McCaffrey had already resigned her position on the executive and personnel committees and her resignation from the Council brings to an end her role on the education committee and as chair of the commercial practice group.

Ms McCaffrey further commented on her resignation: “For me, that means being able to look back and know that I acted with integrity, even when that required the very difficult decision to leave roles I enjoyed, in support of the profession I have been proud to serve.”

Mr Lloyd-Lavery was convicted in April of historical sexual offences committed against female pupils at schools where he was employed as a teacher between 1975 and 1979. Mr Lavery provided his cousin with a character reference in which he referred to him as a Christian man and “a person of sound judgement and good character”.

Mr Lavery lost his post as human rights commissioner following an independent investigation by the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission that found him in breach of its Code of Governance.

Mr Lavery apologised for this “serious error in judgement” and the Law Society opened its own internal investigation into Mr Lavery’s actions, but it was closed with him remaining in post.

Nevertheless, Mr Lavery has faced mounting pressure on him to resign. One of the victims of Mr Lloyd-Lavery, Nicola Bannon, questioned “whether or not he is the right person to be leading an institution of such importance as the Law Society of Northern Ireland”.

Last week letters from 50 members of the Society triggered a Special General Meeting (SGM) where members are expected to call from Mr Lavery’s resignation. Solicitor Jonathan McKeown of JMK Solicitors, one of the members who called for an SGM, told BBC’s Good Morning Ulster programme that the issue has “spiralled away” from Mr Lavery and become one of public trust in the Law Society.

Ms McCaffrey’s resignation is the second resignation from the Council following that of Phillip Armstrong who stated that he found himself “increasingly uncomfortable with the current and future strategies of the society, and separately with certain decisions with which I cannot in all conscience agree or wish to be associated”.

Last week president of the Law Society Mr Mark Borland, speaking to Good Morning Ulster accepted that this incident has harmed how people view the Law Society, but gave Mr Lavery his support to “continue as chief executive of the Law Society of Northern Ireland and to move us forward”.

The SGM is expected to take place on 9 September.