Appointments

Professor Siobhán Wills has been named as the next director of the Transitional Justice Institute (TJI) at Ulster University. An internationally-recognised researcher on peacekeeping, international and human rights law, Professor Wills will take over as director from 1 October 2021.

Belfast law firm McKees has welcomed three new trainee solicitors after a record number of applications for its annual trainee solicitor programme. Catriona Lilley, Sarah Bissett and Anselm Henry will gain experience in the firm's corporate and commercial, banking and financial services, real estate

Comyn Kelleher Tobin LLP has announced the appointment of Karen Tobin as a partner in its family law team. Ms Tobin has been a member of the firm for 25 years and qualified as a solicitor in 2011, representing clients in the area of child care and family law.

Intellectual property lawyer Brian McElligott has joined AI solutions company Altada Technology Solutions as chief intellectual property counsel. Previously a partner at business law firm Mason Hayes & Curran, Mr McElligott will lead Altada's regulatory compliance and due diligence of Altada's I

The Law Society of Ireland has named Mark Garrett as its next director general, succeeding Ken Murphy following his retirement earlier this year. Mr Garrett, the managing director of global consulting firm Teneo, will take the reins for seven years starting from 3 January 2022.

ByrneWallace LLP has announced the appointment of Martin Cooney as head of the firm's infrastructure, construction and energy (ICE) group. Mr Cooney has been a partner and head of the firm's construction law practice since joining ByrneWallace in November 2017.

Supreme Court judge Ms Justice Marie Baker has joined UCC School of Law as an adjunct professor, alongside human rights expert Emily Logan and corporate lawyer John Gaffney.

Co Antrim law firm Armstrong Solicitors has announced the appointment of Bryan Meldrum as its first-ever chief operating officer. Mr Meldrum joins the Newtownabbey-based firm from the healthcare industry, where he specialised in financial management, business development, management information syst

Belfast law firm Tughans has grown with the appointment of two new directors, four newly-qualified solicitors and three new trainee solicitors. Kevin Hegarty has been appointed as a director in the commercial law firm's healthcare department, while Ben Sims has been appointed as a director in the co

Scottish legal academic Professor Martin Hogg has been named as head of NUI Galway School of Law with effect from November. Professor Hogg joins the university from the University of Edinburgh, where he has served as head of school and dean of law since 2017.

Dr Esther McGuinness has been appointed as the new head of Ulster University's School of Law. She succeeds Professor Eugene McNamee, who has served as head of school for eight years.

Commercial law firm Philip Lee has announced the appointment of Louis Burke and Ruairí Mac Cumhaill as partners in its banking and finance group. Mr Burke is an experienced finance lawyer who advises institutional and private clients on a wide range of secured and unsecured finance transactio

Former European commissioner Phil Hogan has joined DLA Piper as a senior strategic and political advisor. Mr Hogan was the European commissioner for agriculture and rural development from 2014 to 2019, and then the European commissioner for trade until his resignation last August.

Banking and finance lawyer Nichola Coghlan has joined UK law firm TLT as an associate in its Belfast office. Ms Coghlan, who joins from Tughans, brings experience in secured and unsecured lending, corporate finance, refinance, restructuring, securitisations, invoice and trade finance and banking.

Eversheds Sutherland has announced the appointment of Liam Boyle as head of company secretarial in Ireland. Mr Boyle joins the firm from another corporate law firm in Dublin where he was a manager in the company secretarial department. Prior to this, he served in two leading global corporate service