Appointments

Byrne Wallace Shields LLP has welcomed nine newly-qualified solicitors following the completion of their traineeships with the firm.

Lavelle Partners LLP has appointed Georgina Lanigan and Dermot McClean as partners in the firm. Ms Lanigan is head of the firm's asset and debt recovery team, while Mr McClean is a partner in its litigation and dispute resolution team.

Cork-based Orbitus Law LLP has promoted Paula O'Halloran to head of commercial property. Ms O'Halloran, who joined the firm seven years ago, succeeds outgoing department head and managing partner Jennifer Downing.

Holmes has appointed solicitor Geoffrey Fung to head the firm's Chinese business unit. Mr Fung, who joined the firm last year, is qualified as a solicitor in Hong Kong, England and Wales, and Ireland.

Solicitor Ciarán Mulholland has been appointed to the criminal law committee of the International Bar Association (IBA). Mr Mulholland is the founder and principal solicitor of Dundalk-based MulhollandLAW, a boutique firm specialising in criminal and civil litigation.

Philip Lee partner Anna Hickey has been appointed to lead the M&A activities of the firm's climate finance team.

Arthur Cox lawyer Deirdre Cummins has been appointed as chairperson of the Pensions Council. The Pensions Council, An Chomhairle Pinsean, advises the minister for social protection on matters relating to policy on pensions.

DWF has announced seven promotions in Belfast, including a more senior role for construction partner David McNeice and a promotion to partnership for insurance lawyer Louise Trimble. Real estate lawyer Amanda Byrnes has been promoted to director and dispute resolution lawyer David Humphreys has been

Rebecca Coen has been appointed as director of enforcement and AML at the new Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland. A qualified barrister, she was previously director of criminal enforcement at the Corporate Enforcement Authority (CEA), Ireland's company law enforcement agency.

Belfast firm RP Crawford Solicitors has welcomed new solicitor Emily Dickson and three new paralegals. The new appointments follow the firm's recent expansion into new offices at No. 15 Stranmillis Road in Belfast's Queen's Quarter.

Law Society of Ireland director general Mark Garrett has been appointed to the board of directors of Community Law & Mediation. Mr Garrett has served as the Law Society's director general since January 2022, having previously worked as Eamon Gilmore's chief of staff — during his tenure as

Aoife Gallagher-Watson has been appointed as director in employment law at EY Law Ireland. A specialist in the areas of employment and work health and safety law, Ms Gallagher-Watson has over 15 years' experience working in-house and with top-tier law employment teams in Ireland and overseas.

Lewis Silkin has appointed Emma Wightman as a senior associate and Megan Kerr as an associate in its Belfast office. Ms Wightman brings extensive expertise and experience as a commercial litigator in managing complex legal cases and providing strategic counsel to a diverse range of business clients.

Flynn O'Driscoll has appointed six new senior associates and two new associates across the firm's corporate, litigation and banking teams. The new senior associates are Claire Atkinson, Cian Mannion, Alison Kenny and Danny Heffernan, while the new associates are Éanna Bane and Ryan Hunt.

Belfast-based O'Reilly Stewart Solicitors has named Stuart Gilmore as its new managing director and welcomed Aine Tyrrell as a partner in its healthcare department. Mr Gilmore, a solicitor with almost 30 years' experience, has been a partner within the practice since 2012.