Leading members of the Northern Ireland legal profession have been recognised in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List.

Brendan McGuigan, chief inspector of criminal justice in Northern Ireland, was named Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE), for services to justice in Northern Ireland.

Stanley Brown, chief executive of Forensic Science Northern Ireland, also received a CBE for services to science and justice.

Northern Ireland barrister Barry Valentine was awarded an OBE for services to the legal profession and the courts.

In a statement published online, The Bar of Northern Ireland said it was a “fitting and well deserved honour for Barry, who began practice in 1974 and over the course of his career contributed to the knowledge and practice of his colleagues by overseeing the creation of a series of vital legal texts that practitioners have come to depend upon as authoritative guides to Northern Irish law”.

George Gray, lately head of NI’s Office of the Legislative Counsel, was named a Companion of the Order of the Bath.