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Michelle Ní Longáin 151st President of Law Society

The Law Society of Ireland has announced the appointment of Michelle Ní Longáin as President for the year 2021/2022, with effect from today (5 November).

Ms Ní Longáin is a senior partner in one of Ireland's largest law firms, ByrneWallace LLP, where she advises clients on employment, equality and administrative law. She becomes the 151st President of the Law Society, and the fifth woman to serve in the role. 

Ms Ní Longáin will serve a one-year term as president of the 22,500 strong Irish solicitors’ profession until November 2022, while continuing to practise as a solicitor with ByrneWallace.

The new senior vice-president is Maura Derivan, while the junior vice-president is Eamonn Harrington.

Commenting on her appointment, Ms Ní Longáin said: “It is a privilege to serve as President of the Law Society, and as the fifth woman to lead the Irish solicitors’ profession, this too is a privilege.

"I am particularly mindful of the importance of representation for our future female legal leaders, and look forward to building upon the progress made in this area by my predecessors.”

Improving diversity

Outlining core priorities for her term in office, Ms Ní Longáin highlighted a focus on continuing to progress gender equality, diversity and inclusion in the solicitors’ profession.

“Looking ahead, we know that the future of this profession is more diverse and more inclusive at all career stages,” she said.

“A key priority for me over the coming year is promoting gender equality, diversity, inclusion, and increased access to the profession, including at leadership levels. I believe that this is very important to ensure that there are more diverse voices in the room.

“As chairperson of the Law Society’s Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Task Force, I have worked with my colleagues to position diversity as a cornerstone of the profession. Significant progress has been made in recent years, and I am committed to driving this agenda forward during the next 12 months.”

Wellbeing and leadership

“Health and wellbeing is another key area I am committed to enhancing during my term. It is vital that our members are empowered to access available supports that will help to protect their personal mental health and wellbeing,” the new president continued.

“How the Law Society responds to the urgent priority of climate justice will also be an important focus of mine during the year ahead. We will focus on supporting our members to help them become more sustainable in their practices,” she stated.

Ms Ní Longáin has been a member of the Council of the Law Society of Ireland since 2004.

Results

The scrutineers’ report of the results of this year’s Law Society’s Council election declares the following candidates elected (the number of votes received by each candidate appears after each name):

• Sonia McEntee (1,275),
• Bill Holohan (1,259),
• Keith Walsh (1,246),
• Justine Carty (1,239),
• Valerie Peart (1,153),
• Richard Hammond SC (1,144),
• Siún Hurley (1,140),
• Helen Coughlan (1,083),
• Gary Lee (1,075),
• Paul Egan SC (1,059), 
• Brendan Cunningham (1,028),
• Morette Kinsella (1,011),
• Paul Keane (968),
• Liam Kennedy (915),
• Susan Martin (880),
• Maeve Delargy (863).

As there was only one candidate nominated for the province of Munster, there was no election for that province. The candidate who was nominated and returned unopposed was: Shane F McCarthy (Munster).

As there was more than one candidate nominated for the province of Connaught, an election was held. The winning candidate declared elected was David Higgins.