Dr Esther McGuinness

She succeeds Professor Eugene McNamee, who has served as head of school for eight years.

A previous head of the law school, Dr McGuinness is a senior lecturer in law as well as founder and co-director of the Ulster University Law Clinic and a founding member of the Social Justice Hub at the Magee campus.

She has over 25 years’ experience in the field of employment law.

As co-director of the Law Clinic, she has supervised LLM Access to Justice students in providing pro bono services to claimants who might otherwise be unrepresented in the areas of social security and employment law and family law.

In a statement, the university said: “We look forward to the next period in the development of Ulster Law School with Esther as head of school.

“Esther is taking over from Prof Eugene McNamee who has been head of school of eight years during a time of considerable change for the University, including the creation of the Legal Innovation Centre under his leadership.

“We thank Eugene for his dedication and hard work during those years and wish him every success as he embarks on new projects.”