Mr Lunny said: “The Bar Council will seek to protect and enhance the virtues of our independence as a bar and as individual barristers and increase wider society’s understanding of the inextricable links, not only between our independence and that of the judiciary, but between our independence and the principle that everyone is entitled to access to justice, a principle which is central to trust in our legal system.”

He added: “The wider challenges of our legal futures will also be considered by the Bar Council across the next two years.

“I am proud of the Bar’s efforts and initiatives to embrace modernisation to date. Nothing stands still, and legal practice continues to be shaped by technological advances and the emergence of new areas of law. No facet of our profession should be left behind.

“Despite the challenges that lie ahead for our profession, the strength of the Bar of Northern Ireland lies in our collegiality, our independence, and our commitment to justice.

“If we remain faithful to those values, we are confident that the Bar of Northern Ireland will continue to serve the public by playing an important role in a stable, prosperous, and just society.”