The Bar represents 24,000 attorneys as well as judges, government officials and legal academics in New York City.

John Kiernan, president of the Bar, has written to British Prime Minister Theresa May and Secretary of State for Northern Ireland James Brokenshire to ask that the UK government “refrain from the use of inflammatory rhetoric” in discussions over ongoing cases.

Plans to prosecute former British soldiers over alleged offences committed during the Troubles has causes a backlash in Britain.

Mr Kiernan said in his letter to Mrs May: “We urge you and other government officials to refrain from the use of inflammatory rhetoric against lawyers involved in the reconciliation process and to identify and implement steps to support lawyers working on reconciliation and legacy issues, and to publicly commit to safeguarding lawyers who have been harassed or threatened as a result of performing their professional duties.”

He added that the NYC Bar was “particularly troubled by reports that lawyers in Northern Ireland once again are facing threats, harassment, and media attacks while engaging in their professional responsibilities related to addressing the legacy of the past”.

Niall Murphy, a partner at KRW Law in Belfast (pictured), said: “The intimidation and vilification of lawyers in this jurisdiction is not a recent phenomenon. However, the seed for the recent bile can be found in intemperate, scandalous remarks at the Tory party conference last year.

“In a healthy society lawyers must be permitted to discharge our professional duties without fear or favour, from government or any vested interest.

“We are vocationally committed to the protection of human rights and upholding the rule of law. We work in the system to shape and challenge laws.

“We have moral and social responsibilities, in particular to help the most vulnerable and those who have suffered so egregiously during the conflict and we will not be intimidated or distracted in pursuance of noble ambitions of truth recovery and accountability for those we are privileged to represent.”