Ms Pierse, currently head of the prosecution support services division in the DPP’s office, will succeed Claire Loftus following the completion of her term of office at the end of next week.

Prior to joining the DPP’s office, Ms Pierse held a number of roles related to criminal law, including head of legal and governance in the Policing Authority, senior enforcement lawyer at the Central Bank, and legal advisor in the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC).

Before this, she worked as a criminal defence solicitor, having qualified as a solicitor in 2001 following her education at University College Cork (UCC) and Queen’s University Belfast (QUB).