Dame Siobhan Keegan | |
---|---|
Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland [1] [2] | |
Assumed office 2 September 2021 | |
Nominated by | Boris Johnson |
Appointed by | Elizabeth II |
Preceded by | Sir Declan Morgan |
Personal details | |
Born | June 6,1971 |
Citizenship | United Kingdom |
Residence | Northern Ireland |
Education | Sacred Heart Grammar School,Newry,County Down,Northern Ireland |
Alma mater | Queen's University Belfast |
Occupation | Jurist |
Profession | Law |
Awards | KC (2006 to 8 September 2022 as Queen's Counsel,then King's Counsel since then) DBE (2015) |
Dame Siobhan Roisin Keegan DBE(born 6 June 1971) is a Northern Irish judge who has been Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland [1] [2] (styled Lady Chief Justice of Northern Ireland) since September 2021. [3] She was formerly a judge of the High Court of Northern Ireland from October 2015 until her appointment as Lord Chief Justice,prior to which she practised as a barrister specialising in family law.
Keegan was educated at St. Clare's Primary School and Sacred Heart Grammar School,Newry,County Down,Northern Ireland. [4] [5]
She studied law at Queen's University Belfast and graduated with a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree in July 1993. After further study,she was called to the Bar of Northern Ireland in September 1994. [5]
Keegan became a barrister when she was called to the Bar of Northern Ireland in September 1994. [5] She specialised in family law but has also had experience in criminal law and judicial review. [4]
She was made a Queen's Counsel (QC) in June 2006. [5] Between 2011 and 2013,she served as Chair of the Family Bar Association. [5] In 2014,she was elected Vice Chair of the Bar Council of Northern Ireland. [6]
For each of the financial years from 2013 to 2015,Keegan was the fourth-highest-earning barrister in Northern Ireland in terms of legal aid,having received £504,177 in 2012/2013, [7] £513,405 in 2013/2014, [8] and £427,632 in 2014/2015. [9]
On 23 October 2015,Keegan was appointed a judge of the High Court of Justice in Northern Ireland. [4] [10] She was sworn into office by Sir Declan Morgan,the Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland,at the same time as Denise McBride. [11] This made Keegan and McBride jointly the first female high court judges of Northern Ireland. [4] [6]
On 23 November 2015,she was appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE). [12]
On 16 June 2021,Keegan was nominated to be Northern Ireland's first female Lord Chief Justice. [13] [14] She was sworn in as Lord Chief Justice at a ceremony on 2 September 2021. [3]
On 29 September 2021,Keegan became a member of the Privy Council. [15]
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