Mr Harrington is a senior partner at Comyn Kelleher Tobin LLP, with offices in Cork and Dublin.

He specialises in healthcare law and dispute resolution and brings extensive experience acting as a mediator and arbitrator.

He will serve a one-year term as president of the 24,000-strong Irish solicitors’ profession until November 2025.

Commenting on his appointment, Mr Harrington said: “It is a privilege to serve as president of the Law Society of Ireland over the next 12 months.

“I am proud to be a progressive voice to represent the Irish solicitors’ profession at home and abroad.”

A graduate of University College Cork (UCC), Mr Harrington qualified as a solicitor in 1988. He is also a CEDR-accredited mediator and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.

He has been on the Law Society Council since 2006 and has chaired the Society’s litigation and ADR committees.

A native of Cork, he is married to Jamie, with whom he has three children: Jesse and Richard, both historians, and Ana, who is a trainee solicitor.

Setting out his priorities for the coming year, Mr Harrington said: “I am mindful that while the solicitors’ profession is thriving, there is work to do to support smaller and sole practices, as businesses, to adapt to meet the changing needs of our local communities. 

“I look forward to supporting the Law Society to implement its ambitious new strategy for the future of the solicitors’ profession and law reform in the public interest. This strategy is a catalyst for positive change, engagement and new collaborations which will support the needs of our legal system and all who use it.

“We will continue to support aspiring solicitors through outreach programmes, financial grants and flexible legal training options including the Law Society’s Access Programme, PPC Hybrid and Small Traineeship Practice Grant.

“The Law Society is committed to increasing access to justice, helping to widen access to the solicitors’ profession, supporting practitioners, and driving forward justice and law reform issues for the benefit of the Irish public.

“At the heart of this, the Law Society wants more people to have the opportunity to access legal advice, and have their legal issues resolved in a timely and efficient manner. This includes working towards a properly funded and well-resourced justice system.”