Dame Brenda King

Having been first appointed in 2020, her term of appointment will now expire on 30 June 2030.

Prior to her appointment, Dame Brenda was the first legislative counsel for Northern Ireland.

She has over 25 years’ experience drafting primary legislation for Northern Ireland and other jurisdictions and providing legal advice to ministers on the most complex and significant legal and constitutional matters.

Dame Brenda was educated at the Queen’s University of Belfast, the University of South Carolina and Cambridge University.

She began her career as a solicitor in a busy legal aid practice in Belfast and has also served as a diplomat, dealing principally with EU law and public international law. She has a particular interest in international boundary disputes.

She was president of the Commonwealth Association of Legislative Counsel from 2017-2019, which involved working with lawyers in 92 jurisdictions to improve the quality of legislation worldwide.