Leitrim Woman named ‘Irish Woman Lawyer of the Year’

Maura McNally SC, Member of the Inner Bar and Chair of the Council of The Bar of Ireland and native of Dromod, Co Leitrim, will be jointly awarded the ‘Irish Woman Lawyer of the Year’ award by the Irish Women Lawyers Association alongside Sligo solicitor Michelle O’Boyle, outgoing President of the Law Society of Ireland, in recognition of their exceptional leadership in a time of great strife and challenge.

In July 2020, Maura McNally was elected Chair of the Council of The Bar of Ireland, the representative body for some 2,200 Barristers in Ireland who are members of The Bar of Ireland, following in the footsteps of the late Honourable Ms. Justice Mella Carroll S.C., who was first elected 41 years ago, to be the second female Chair of the Council of The Bar of Ireland.

Ms McNally was called to the Bar in 1992, and practised on Circuit until her appointment to the Inner Bar in 2017. Following post-graduate studies in Warwick University (LLM), and UCG (BA & LLB), she completed her Barrister at Law in King’s Inns and practises civil law, mainly in personal injury, chancery and non-jury.

Senator Ivana Bacik (Woman Lawyer of the Year, 2019) will present the awards to Ms McNally and Ms O’Boyle on 16 December during an online ‘dine-in’ gala ceremony and will host a ‘fireside chat’ with the award recipients.

Maura McNally SC, Member of the Inner Bar and Chair of the Council of The Bar of Ireland, said; “I’m honoured to receive the award of Irish Woman Lawyer of the Year, representing female participation in the legal profession alongside Michele O’Boyle. Over four decades have passed since the late Honourable Ms. Justice Mella Carroll S.C. was elected as the first female Chair of the Bar, and while great strides have been made in reaching equality within the profession in this time, a lot more needs to be done to close that gap.

"In order to better support women on their respective journeys in the legal profession, we must dismantle the significant obstacles that stand in their way, and the Irish Women Lawyers Association has played a vital role in this important effort since its foundation. In my role as Chair of the Council of the Bar of Ireland my key priorities are promoting diversity and inclusion within the profession, supporting access to justice for all, encouraging more female participation, and ensuring that the profession is more reflective of society in general.”

The Irish Women Lawyers Association was set up to offer networking opportunities to women in the legal profession. It strives to encourage and support women in the legal profession in Ireland by facilitating professional, social, and educational networking between women lawyers and advocating for and advancing the interests of such women.