Denise McBride
Madam Justice McBride | |
|---|---|
| Judge of the High Court of Justice in Northern Ireland | |
| Assumed office 23 October 2015 | |
| Personal details | |
| Citizenship | United Kingdom |
| Nationality | Northern Irish |
| Education | Down High School |
| Alma mater | Queen's University Belfast |
| Awards | QC (2011) DBE (2015) |
Dame Denise Anne McBride, DBE, QC, styled The Hon Madam Justice McBride, is a Northern Irish judge and former barrister specialising in chancery, family, civil and international law. In October 2015, she was appointed one of the first female judges of the High Court of Northern Ireland; the other was Siobhan Keegan.[1]
Early life
McBride was educated at Clough Primary School and Down High School, a grammar school in Downpatrick, County Down, Northern Ireland.[2] She studied law at Queen's University Belfast,[3] and graduated with a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree in June 1988.[4]
Legal career
McBride was called to the Bar of Northern Ireland in 1989.[3] In September 2011, she was appointed a Queen's Counsel (QC).[2]
From 2012 to 2014, she was Vice Chair of the Bar Council of Northern Ireland.[4]
In addition to her practising career, she is also involved in the academic side of law. Since 1991, she has been a tutor and guest lecturer in land law at the School of Law, Queen's University Belfast.[4][5] In 2006, she was appointed an Honorary Lecturer "in recognition of long service as a tutor and guest lecturer".[2][4][6]
On 23 October 2015, McBride was appointed a judge of the High Court of Justice in Northern Ireland.[3][7] She was sworn into office by Sir Declan Morgan, the Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland, at the same time as Siobhan Keegan.[8] This made McBride and Keegan jointly the first female high court judges of Northern Ireland.[3][4] Two weeks later, McBride was appointed deputy chair of the Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland.[9]
On 23 November 2015, she was appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE).[10]
References
- ^ "Local woman appointed as High Court judge". Thedownrecorder.co.uk. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
- ^ a b c "First female High Court judges appointed in NI". UTV. 23 October 2015. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
- ^ a b c d "First women appointed as NI High Court judges". BBC News. BBC. 23 October 2015. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
- ^ a b c d e "Female judges appointed to NI High Court for first time". The Irish Times. 23 October 2015. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
- ^ "Land Law Update 2012" (pdf). The Law Society of Northern Ireland. March 2012. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
- ^ "Two eminent Queen's graduates appointed first ever female NI High Court judges". Development & Alumni Relations Office. Queen's University Belfast. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
- ^ "Crown Office - Northern Ireland". The Belfast Gazette. 30 October 2015. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
- ^ "Congratulations to Denise McBride QC and Siobhan Keegan QC on Celebrated Appointment". The Bar of Northern Ireland. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
- ^ "Madam Justice McBride appointed to Boundary Commission". Irish Legal News. 6 November 2015. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
- ^ "Damehoods conferred: Siobhan Keegan and Denise McBride". GOV.UK. Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street. 23 November 2015. Retrieved 23 November 2015.