Lawyers from Belfast, Dublin and Liverpool came together at a gala dinner hosted by the Belfast Solicitors Association (BSA).

The annual event raised around £1,200 for the BSA’s nominated charity, Inspire (formerly the Northern Ireland Association for Mental Health), bringing its fundraising total to over £5,000 this year.

In his address, BSA chair Eoghan McKenna called on solicitors to value “business excellence, management and leadership”.

Mr McKenna, a solicitor at Belfast-based MSM Law, told delegates: “Leadership is a particularly key concept for me personally whether in life, in sport, or law.

“I very much appreciate the power of the law to protect but also to affect the life of many and lead a way.

“The BSA has also always been about leadership.

“Leadership can be challenging but some must have the bravery to lead, to build relationships and illuminate the way that assists our profession, our professional colleagues, our clients and society.”

He said solicitors have an “an under-appreciated role in the front-line maintenance of community and society well-being, as they champion the rule of law and fair access to justice”.

Mr McKenna concluded: “Hopefully those who do not appreciate the positive and crucial role lawyers and law can play in society are persuaded otherwise quickly.

“The solicitor profession and the BSA, as collectives, but also all of us as individuals, must find the courage again, even in challenging times, to again lead the way to help all.”