Appointments

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.

Philip Lee has promoted Niall Donnelly, Alison Murray, Patrick Kane and Jennifer Darcy to partner. Mr Donnelly, in the energy and natural resources team, specialises in advising clients on complex projects and regulatory matters in the energy sector, in particular renewable energy transactions.

Maples and Calder (Ireland) LLP, the Maples Group's law firm, has appointed Stephen Gardiner as a partner in its Irish asset finance practice. With 15 years' experience, Mr Gardiner is a highly-regarded advisor in the aviation leasing and finance sector in Ireland.

Walkers has appointed Dermot Casserly as partner and head of its employment law team in Ireland. Mr Casserly joins from DWF, where he led the employment team, having previously held roles at Beauchamps and KPMG.

Patrice O'Keeffe has been appointed as managing partner of Comyn Kelleher Tobin (CKT), taking the reins from Deborah Moore, who has led the practice for the past 16 years. Having headed the firm through a period of significant growth — including an 85 per cent increase in practising solicitors

Solicitor Maura Kiely has been appointed as a Revenue Commissioner. Taoiseach Micheál Martin appointed Ms Kiely to succeed Gerry Harrahill, who recently retired from the Revenue Board.

IP law firm Bristows has appointed Naoise Gaffney as of counsel and UPC director in Dublin. The London-headquartered firm opened its Dublin office in September 2023 in response to the establishment of the Unified Patent Court (UPC).