Authority Members
The Legal Services Regulatory Authority is an independent body established under the Legal Services Regulation Act 2015. The Authority’s members are appointed by the government following a nomination process designed to ensure the independence of the Authority.
About the Authority
The Authority is comprised of eleven members who are appointed by the Government following nomination by ten bodies. The nomination process is designed to ensure the independence of the Authority. It also ensures a balance of interests between legal practitioners and consumers who avail of their services.
The Authority is required by law to be independent in the performance of its functions. Authority members are required to protect and promote the public interest. They are nominees and not representatives of the nominating bodies.
In total, six members of the Authority are lay people – that is they are not practicing as solicitors or barristers. This includes the Authority’s chairperson.
Nominating Bodies
The six lay members are nominated by the following bodies:
- the Citizens Information Board;
- the Higher Education Authority;
- the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission;
- the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission;
- the Institute of Legal Costs Accountants; and
- the Consumers’ Association of Ireland.
Of the five non-lay members one is nominated by the Bar of Ireland, one is a solicitor nominated by the Legal Aid Board, one member is nominated by the Honorable Society of King’s Inns and two are nominated by the Law Society.
Authority Member Profiles and Nominating Bodies
Dr Don Thornhill – Chair
Higher Education Authority
Dr Don Thornhill currently chairs the Legal Services Regulatory Authority. He also chairs the Joint Standing Committee of Dublin Maternity Hospitals. He is also a board member of Trinity College Dublin and of the the National Concert Hall as well as being a consultant and adviser on strategy and policy. His previous board chairperson roles have included the National Competitiveness Council, Hibernia College, the Chartered Accountants’ Regulatory Board and the Irish Payments Services Organisation.
He has also been a board member of the Irish Management Institute, Forfás, the Irish Tax Institute, the Digital Hub, the Fulbright Commission and Science Foundation Ireland. Between 1993 and 2005 he was successively Secretary General of the Department of Education and Science and Executive Chair of the Higher Education Authority.
Eileen Barrington SC
Honorable Society of King’s Inns
Eileen Barrington is a graduate of Trinity College Dublin, the King’s Inns and the College of Europe, Bruges. Eileen commenced practice as a barrister in 1994 and became a senior counsel in 2011. She practises mainly in the areas of European, commercial, administrative and regulatory law.
Angela Black
Citizens Information Board
Angela Black, retired Chief Executive of Citizens Information Board, has worked on consumer protection in financial services in Ireland and the EU. She is a Director of the Irish Banking Culture Board and the Social Finance Foundation.
Geraldine Clarke SC
Law Society of Ireland
Geraldine Clarke is a Consultant with Gleeson McGrath Baldwin LLP, Solicitors in Dublin, where she practises in the area of litigation. She is a past President of the Law Society of Ireland. She is a former Chair of the Professional Ethics Committee of the International Bar Association and has served as a Board member of the Irish Financial Services Appeal Tribunal.
Joan Crawford
Legal Aid Board
Joan Crawford is Chief Executive Officer for the Legal Aid Board, having worked as Director of Internal Service Delivery, Regional Manager, Managing Solicitor and a solicitor in various Law Centres in the Dublin region. In her current role Joan is also involved in developing policy, governance and strategy for the Board. She has experience in general practice and local government, as well as extensive experience in family law and mediation, child abduction and child care cases in all courts. Joan has a Masters in Public Management and Diplomas in European Law, Child Care Law and Mental Health and Capacity Law. She is a member of the and Family Lawyers’ Association.
Shane Galligan
Institute of Legal Costs Accountants
Shane Galligan is a partner with Behan & Associates, Legal Costs Accountants, a fellow of the Institute of Legal Costs Accountants, Chair of the Education Committee and, since 2012, a member of the six-person Governing Council of the Institute.
He is also member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and an Accredited Mediator (CIArb).
Dermott Jewell
Consumers’ Association of Ireland
Dermott Jewell is Policy and Council Advisor to the Consumers’ Association of Ireland. Specialising in management law, he is an independent consumer expert and trainer. He was elected President of ANEC – The European Consumer Voice in Standardisation in June 2019.
Mr Jewell is a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitration (Irish Branch) (CIArb) with accreditations in Employment Investigation and Mediation. He is a Member of the Irish Institute of Mediation and holds the IPA-UCD Professional Certificate in Governance.
Sara Moorhead SC
Bar of Ireland
Sara Moorhead is a Senior Counsel and a Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR) Accredited Mediator. She is primarily a trial lawyer/courtroom advocate. She has extensive expertise in the areas of Judicial Review, Personal Injuries, Administrative and Contract Law, Medical Negligence, Professional Negligence, Insurance Law, non-Jury, Asylum and Immigration law. She has represented the Government in proceedings before the European Court of Justice. She has also advised the Office of the Parliamentary Legal Adviser and acted as Legal Counsel in a number of Tribunals of Inquiry.
Simon Murphy
Law Society of Ireland
Simon Murphy is a partner in JRAP O’Meara LLP Solicitors in Cork. He is a qualified Arbitrator and Mediator. He has previously chaired the main Law Society of Ireland Regulatory Committees and currently holds a number of regulatory roles across various professions.
Simon served as an elected member of the Council of the Law Society of Ireland for many years and was President of the Law Society of Ireland in 2015-2016. He is also a former president of the Southern Law Association.
Síona Ryan
Competition and Consumer Protection Commission
Síona Ryan is the Director of Policy, Research and International at the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission charged with influencing policy development, promoting competition and advocating for the interests of consumers. She has extensive public policy experience operating across Irish, European and international institutions and holds both an MA in International Relations and an MA in Law.