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Andrew Stephen Burrows became a Justice of the Supreme Court in June 2020.
He was educated at Prescot Grammar School, Knowsley, Merseyside and Brasenose College, Oxford. He was an academic on the Law faculty at the University of Manchester and, for most of his career, at the University of Oxford. He was a barrister at Fountain Court Chambers from 1989.
He was appointed QC (hon) in 2003 and is an Honorary Bencher of the Middle Temple. He sat as a part-time judge for over 20 years, first as a Recorder and then as a Deputy High Court Judge.
He was a Law Commissioner for England and Wales (1994-1999) and the President of the Society of Legal Scholars (2015-16). He is a Fellow of the British Academy, a Distinguished Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, and has written many books and articles especially on contract, tort, unjust enrichment, and statute law.
He was formerly Professor of the Law of England at the University of Oxford and is the first, and so far only, person to have been appointed direct to the highest court from a full-time position as a legal academic.
Mr Justice Woulfe was appointed to the Supreme Court in July 2020.
A native of Clontarf, Mr Justice Woulfe was educated at Trinity College Dublin, Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia, and The Honorable Society of King’s Inns. He was called to the Bar of Ireland in 1987 and to the Inner Bar in 2005.
Prior to his appointment to the Supreme Court, Mr Justice Woulfe served as Attorney General to the 31st Government of Ireland from June 2017 until June 2020.
Dame Siobhan Keegan was appointed as a High Court Judge in October 2015. She was one of the first two women to be appointed to the High Court along with Madam Justice McBride.
Prior to becoming a judge, Lady Chief Justice Keegan, a Queen’s University alumna, graduating with LLB Honours in 1993, was called to the Bar of Northern Ireland in 1994 and became a Queen’s Counsel in 2006.
During her career at the Bar Lady Chief Justice Keegan served as Vice Chair of the Bar of Northern Ireland, Chair of the Young Bar, Chair of the Family Bar Association and Chair of the Bar Charity Committee. She was also a long standing member of the Professional Conduct Committee of the Bar.
Lady Chief Justice Keegan was the Judge in Residence at the Queen’s University of Belfast from November 2015 until August 2021. She was a member of the Judicial Studies Board (JSB) from April 2016 until August 2021. She was also the Northern Ireland representative on the Franco-British-Irish Judicial Cooperation Committee.
David Barniville was appointed a judge of the High Court in December 2017 after almost 27 years in practice as a barrister and Senior Counsel in the Courts of Ireland and in the European Courts. He was the judge in charge of the Commercial Division of the High Court (2019-2021). He was and is again also designated as the Arbitration Judge to hear all arbitration related matters in the High Court.
He was previously the judge in charge of the Strategic Infrastructure List in the High Court (2018-2019). David was appointed to the Court of Appeal in August 2021. He was appointed President of the High Court in July 2022. In that role he is ex officio a member of the Court of Appeal, the Supreme Court and the Council of State.
Lord Sandison graduated from the University of Aberdeen in 1989 with an LL.B Honours degree before gaining a Diploma in Legal Practice from Edinburgh University and a Diploma in Forensic Medicine from Glasgow University in 1990.
He then went on to gain a Masters Degree in 1991 and a Ph.D. in 1994 at the University of Cambridge before joining Brodies as a Bar Trainee. He was admitted to the Faculty of Advocates in 1996, and was appointed as a Queen’s Counsel in 2009.
Andrew Henshaw became one of the judges of the Commercial Court in 2017. He is authorised to sit in cases in the Commercial and Administrative Courts, and also sits in criminal cases in the Crown Court and Court of Appeal (Criminal Division).
Mr Justice Henshaw was educated at his local state secondary school, then read law at Cambridge. He qualified as a solicitor in 1984 and practised in commercial litigation at Linklaters & Paines (later Linklaters LLP), and spent a year with Steptoe & Johnson in Washington, DC in 1987-1988. He became a partner at Linklaters in 1994 and qualified as a Solicitor-Advocate in 1998.
He was called to the Bar in 2000 and joined Brick Court Chambers, where he specialised in commercial and litigation and arbitration, public and EU law.
He was appointed a QC in 2013 and as a Deputy High Court Judge in 2017. He became a High Court Judge in 2019, assigned to the Queen’s Bench Division.
He became Judge in Charge of the Commercial Court on 1 September 2024 in an appointment that runs until 31 August 2026.
Born in London and brought up in Lancaster and Kirkby Lonsdale in Cumbria, Tom went to the local state grammar school before studying Classics and then Law at Oxford University.
Tom trained as a barrister and practised at the Bar as a self-employed barrister for more than 20 years before joining a major City law firm as a partner. He took Silk in 2010, was appointed a s9(4) Deputy High Court Judge in the Chancery Division in 2019 and appointed a High Court Judge of the Chancery Division in 2021. He was an elected member of the Bar Council and is a bencher of Lincoln’s Inn.
At the Bar, Tom had a broad property and company law practice and appeared in a number of offshore jurisdictions (including Bermuda where he spent three years) before going in-house where he developed a wider commercial practice including energy, insurance and international arbitration.
Tom has a particular interest in professional indemnity work and co-writes a leading textbook on solicitors’ liabilities.
In July 2025, he was appointed as the Supervising Judge of the Business and Property Courts for the Northern & North Eastern Circuit, with effect from 1 October 2025 for a period of three years.
He has also been appointed the Vice-Chancellor of the County Palatine of Lancaster for three years, starting in the role from 1 October 2025.
His Honour Judge Pearce was called to the Bar in 1985. He practised in the sphere of common law. He was appointed a Recorder in 2005 and a full-time civil Circuit Judge in 2015, sitting initially in Chester and Liverpool and more recently in Manchester.
Richard is the Judge in charge of the Circuit Commercial Court in Manchester and also sits in the Technology and Construction Court and the Chancery Division, as well as in the County Court, the King’s Bench Division, the Administrative Court and the Upper Tribunal Immigration and Asylum Chamber.
He is a frequent speaker at events organised by the British Irish Commercial Bar Association. He has been involved in the Court Reform programme, including work on online court processes.
Mr Justice Mark Sanfey studied law at Trinity College Dublin and graduated in 1982. He obtained a Barrister-at-Law degree from the King’s Inns in 1987 and commenced practice that year. Mark was called to the Inner Bar in 2004, and practised primarily in the areas of Chancery, Commercial, Insolvency, and Construction Law. He was the inaugural chair of the Construction Bar Association of Ireland, holding that post for 5 years, and is a CEDR-accredited mediator.
Mark was appointed to the High Court bench in December 2019, and has presided mainly in the Chancery and Commercial courts. He was appointed Judge in charge of the Chancery list in October 2023, and Judge in charge of the Commercial Court in December 2024. He has also presided as Judge in charge of the Arbitration, Personal Insolvency and Bankruptcy lists, and is co-author “Bankruptcy Law and Practice” (2010), 2nd edition, Round Hall Press.
Mr Justice Cawson was called to the Bar by Lincoln’s Inn (of which he is now a Bencher) in 1982 and was appointed Queen’s Counsel (now King’s Counsel) in 2001. He was appointed as a Recorder in 2000, and as a Deputy High Court Judge in 2004.
In November 2020 he was appointed as a Specialist Circuit Judge sitting in the Business and Property Courts in Manchester, before being appointed as a High Court Judge, assigned to the Chancery Division, in October 2025. It is a pleasure to welcome Mark back to Manchester for the conference.
He was Chair of the Northern Circuit Commercial Bar Association (2008–13), and Chair of the Northern Chancery Bar Association (2013–20). He is an Honorary Visiting Professor in the School of Law and Social Justice at the University of Liverpool.
Susan is a well regarded commercial silk known for her impressive, wide-ranging practice. She specialises in insolvency, commercial litigation and company disputes. She also served as a standing junior to the Scottish Government from 2012 until her appointment as KC in 2023.
She is praised for her sound grasp of commercial realities. With over 16 years’ experience at the bar, Susan has appeared in the United Kingdom Supreme Court, the Inner House of the Court of Session, the Court of Session and the Sheriff Court. She routinely appears in the commercial court in the Court of Session.
She has significant experience in representing insolvency practitioners, companies, company directors, financial institutions and government bodies, as well as individuals.
David Dunlop KC was called to the Bar of Northern Ireland in 1998 and took silk in 2020. He has been a member of the Bar of Ireland since 2010 and the Bar of England and Wales since 2012.
He has a broad commercial practice and is currently the Chairman of the Commercial Bar Association in Northern Ireland.
He has been involved in many of the main commercial disputes in Northern Ireland which have resulted in published judgments in a wide range of areas to include, among others, procurement law, adjudication enforcement and restraint of trade.
James Lee is Professor of English Law at The Dickson Poon School of Law, where he teaches several private law subjects. He is an Academic Bencher of the Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, and an academic member of the Property Litigation Association, Chancery Bar Association (ChBA) and the Property Bar Association (PBA). He serves on the Education and Training Committee for the Inner Temple, as Vice-Chair of the Chancery Bar Association Academic Liaison Sub-Committee, and as Chair of the Property Bar Association’s Law Reform Sub-Committee. He regularly lectures on tort for the Judicial College of England and Wales.
James’ principal research interests are in private law, law reform and judicial reasoning in appellate courts. His current main project explores narratives in the role of institutions in legal change. James is founding Co-Editor (with Erin Delaney and Andrew Lynch) of the book series Hart Studies on Judging and the Courts.
In recent years, his work has been cited by courts throughout the common law world. James is one of the General Editors of Legal Studies, the flagship journal of the Society of Legal Scholars. With Jamie Glister, James is Co-Editor of the best-selling Trusts textbook, Hanbury and Martin: Modern Equity, the 23rd edition of which was published in 2024.
Imogen McGrath is a Senior Counsel practising in Dublin, having been called to the Inner Bar in October 2022. Her principal areas of practice are chancery and commercial law, and she also practices in EU law.
Prior to commencing at the Irish Bar in 2005, Imogen worked as an Associate in the anti trust department in Cleary Gottlieb LLP, Brussels, and in King & Wood Mallesons LLP, Sydney.
She has served two terms on the Council of the Bar of Ireland, and is currently a committee member of the Commercial Litigation Association of Ireland. Imogen is also admitted to the Bar of England & Wales, the Bar of Northern Ireland and the New York Bar.
Gavin MacColl called to the Scots Bar in 2000 and took silk in 2017.
He maintains a busy commercial practice, with particular interests in commercial contract, construction (and related professional negligence claims) and the Scots law of prescription (time bar).
James Turner is a Director in O’Reilly Stewart Solicitors, Belfast & Dublin. James qualified as a solicitor in Northern Ireland in 1995 and as a Solicitor Advocate in 2001.
James has a particular specialism in construction law dispute resolution and has prime responsibility in the firm for advising and representing clients in Construction Industry Adjudications, Arbitrations, Mediations and High Court & Court of Appeal actions. James is a qualified Law Society NI Commercial Mediator and RICS/RSPH qualified Construction Industry Adjudicator.
As part of his role heading the Commercial Litigation team at O’Reilly Stewart, he is also recognised as a leading individual in Professional Negligence actions acting on behalf of various parties including lenders, insurers, surveyors, solicitors and government bodies.
James also acts for prominent NI Commissions / Regulators advising in the field of public law regulation and judicial review proceedings. James is also known for his work prosecuting public procurement challenges in the High Court under the Public / Utility Contracts legislation.
James is dual qualified in the Republic of Ireland and is the Regional Co-Ordinator of the Society of Construction Law; a member of the Adjudication Society and a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.
James regularly presents talks and CPD events in Belfast, Dublin & London on behalf of various bodies including the Law Society NI, BSA and SCL.
Hannah Shaw is a partner in A&L Goodbody's Disputes & Investigations group.
Hannah is a commercial litigator with a broad range of commercial disputes experience, in particular in the areas of injunctions, public procurement, property (with a focus on landlord and tenant disputes), corporate shareholder disputes, financial services, commercial contracts and competition.
She also has extensive experience in alternative dispute resolution including negotiation and mediation.
Tanya has extensive experience advising clients on all aspects of restructuring and insolvency in Northern Ireland and regularly acts for creditors, Insolvency Practitioners and company directors.
Tanya also acts for banks, ABLs, funders and creditors in financial services litigation in Northern Ireland, and has acted for all of the main UK and Irish banks in complex financial disputes before the Northern Ireland High Court and Court of Appeal. She advises lenders in respect of debt enforcement, security reviews, recoveries and disputed debts.
Tanya is recognised by both Chambers as “Up & Coming” and L500 as a “Leading Associate” in respect of her restructuring and insolvency practice.
Lynsey is a partner in Addleshaw Goodard. She is a commercial litigator specialising in banking, insolvency and commercial litigation.
Lynsey heads the Addleshaw Goodard Finance Disputes team in Scotland. She appears in Court regularly and has experience representing clients in both Sheriff Court and Court of Session actions. Lynsey also has experience settling disputes at mediation and advising on Financial Ombudsman Service complaints.
Lynsey is a Solicitor Advocate and regularly appears personally in the Court of Session on behalf of her clients. She is also a Board Member for the Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service.
Comfort Odesola is an ambitious and dedicated Barrister currently practising at the Bar of Ireland, she was called to the Bar in the trinity term of 2022 after completing her degree at the Honourable Society of the King’s Inns.
Before being called to the Bar of Ireland, she first completed her bachelor’s degree in Law and Business (BBL) at the University of Maynooth, Ireland. She then progressed to complete a master’s degree in Corporate Law (LLM) at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. During her university days she volunteered with the free legal advice centre (FLAC). She completed her pupillage experience in areas of personal injuries, criminal law, maritime law, construction and company law.
Now as a practising Barrister, she is currently serving on the Bar Education and Training Committee, as well as the Young Bar Committee by lending her voice to speak on the challenges that junior members of the Bar face. She has a general practice given the broad range of experience in her first few years but is primarily specialising in areas of Commercial, Construction and Company Law.
Micheál Murphy is a barrister at 23es Chambers. He is qualified to practise in England and Wales and has been called to the Bar of both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. His practice encompasses a broad range of commercial matters with a particular emphasis on commercial litigation, insolvency and property law.
Micheál is an experienced Government litigator. As a member of the Attorney General’s Panel of Junior Counsel to the Crown, he is regularly instructed to act for a range of Government Departments and Ministers including the Secretary of State for Transport, the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, HMRC and the Insolvency Service.
Micheál has been a member of the British Irish Commercial Bar Association Committee since 2017. As well as being a member of the organising committee for this year’s annual forum, he was on the organising committee for the BICBA 2022 Annual Forum also held in Manchester. Micheál organised the 2026 BICBA mooting competition.
