Judicial Appointments

Barristers Gerard Meehan SC and Fiona O'Sullivan SC and solicitor Jennifer O'Brien have been nominated for appointment as Circuit Court judges. The new nominees will fill vacancies created under the Courts Act 2023, which provides for an increase in the number of ordinary Circuit Court judges from 4

Liam Kennedy SC, Oisín Quinn SC, Barry O’Donnell SC, Siobhan Lankford SC and Emily Farrell SC have been nominated for appointment as judges of the High Court. The four barristers and one solicitor fill five new posts created by the expansion of the High Court bench under the Courts Act

Dame Sue Carr is to take up the role of Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales in October, becoming the first woman to hold the top judicial post. Lord Burnett of Maldon, the Lord Chief Justice since 2017, is retiring at the end of September.

Minsters have nominated Ms Justice Aileen Donnelly for appointment to the Supreme Court, and Mr Justice Charles Meenan and Ms Justice Tara Burns for appointment to the Court of Appeal. The nominations follow the passing of the Courts Bill 2023 earlier this month, allowing for the appointment of 24 a

Legislation providing for the appointment of 24 additional judges this year and a further 20 judges in future has concluded its passage through the Oireachtas.

Senior legal executives will have the opportunity to become Crown Court judges in England and Wales as the UK government takes action to address the backlog of serious criminal cases. Justice Secretary Alex Chalk KC announced that the departure from usual practice on the Crown Court bench, which has

Criminal defence solicitor Shalom Binchy has been nominated by ministers for appointment as an ordinary judge of the District Court. Ms Binchy will fill the vacancy arising from the retirement of Judge Brian J. Sheridan in March.

Northern Ireland barrister Francis Rafferty has been appointed as a district judge. Judge Rafferty was sworn in before Dame Siobhan Keegan, the Lady Chief Justice of Northern Ireland, on Wednesday.

Mr Justice Michael Humphreys, Bernard Brady KC and Michael Robinson have been appointed to the Northern Ireland Judicial Appointments Commission (NIJAC). Mr Justice Humphreys, who has been appointed for a five-year term, replaces Mr Justice Horner as the High Court judge commissioner.

Ministers have agreed to appoint Rory Mulcahy SC to the High Court and Sinead Behan, Dr Geoffrey Shannon and Dermot Sheehan to the Circuit Court. Mr Mulcahy will fill the High Court vacancy arising from the retirement of Ms Justice Deirdre Murphy last week.

Fieldfisher partner Zoe Richardson considers the wide-ranging recommendations of the Judicial Planning Working Group. The publication of the report of the Judicial Planning Working Group on Friday was largely welcomed by industry and government, reflected in the widespread coverage of the recommenda

An additional 24 judges will be appointed across the Irish courts this year and a further 20 judges next year, the government has announced. The overall number of judges in the State will increase from 173 to 217 by the end of 2024 under government plans to implement the recommendations of the judic

Mícheál P O’Higgins SC, a former chair of The Bar of Ireland, has been nominated by ministers for appointment to the High Court bench. In addition, barrister Elizabeth Maguire SC and solicitor Simon McAleese have been nominated for appointment as judges of the Circuit Court.

Judge Patrick Kinney has been appointed and sworn into office as a High Court judge in Northern Ireland in one of three new judicial appointments. Alongside the appointment of Mr Justice Kinney, Judge Mark McGarrity and Mark Reel have been appointed as County Court judges.

Mr Justice Stephen Fowler has been appointed as president of the Historical Institutional Abuse Redress Board. The High Court judge yesterday took on the role from Mr Justice Ian Huddleston, who was appointed to the role just last year.