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
Tom Boland
Higher Education Authority
Tom Boland is currently joint Managing Partner in BH Associates, Education Consultants. For 12 years up to August 2016 he was Chief Executive of the Higher Education Authority. In the previous 10 years he served as Legal Adviser and Director of Strategic Policy in the Department of Education. He holds degrees in civil engineering and law and was called to the Bar of Ireland in 1989. He was awarded a Doctorate in Education (Hon. Causa) by the National University of Ireland in 2017.
Tom currently chairs the Board of the National Youth Orchestra of Ireland and is a member of the Quality Committee of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. He has previously held board positions in the Denham Fellowship, Science Foundation Ireland, the Fulbright Commission, the Medical and Health Sciences Board (RCSI), chaired the boards of Benefacts and HeaNet and was a vice president of the OECD sub-committee on higher education.
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.
Shane is also member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and an Accredited Mediator (CIArb).
Sarah Moorhead SC
Bar of Ireland
Sarah 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.
Sarah 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.
Bríd O’ Donovan
Citizens Information Board
Bríd O’Donovan is the founder and a director of Comhairle Consulting, a company which provides consulting and coaching support to senior leadership teams in the areas of strategy, internal operating model development, governance, and board effectiveness. Brid previously held several senior leadership roles with AIB.
Bríd has a BA in Economics, is a qualified accountant and holds an MBA from Smurfit Business School. She is a certified Bank Director, and an accredited Mediator with the Mediation Institute of Ireland.
Bríd is a member of the Citizens Information Board and Belvedere Youth Club. She is a member of the audit committee of Tailte Eireann. She has previously held board positions with the Mediation Institute of Ireland and the Government Interim Procurement Reform Board and was a member of the diversity and inclusion committee of the Irish Fund Directors Association.
Paul O’ Donovan
Consumers Association of Ireland
Paul O’Donovan is currently CEO of O’Donovan Associates. Starting his career with Arthur Andersen & Co., Paul has worked as a management consultant for over 30 years and specialises in strategic and operations projects and advisory services to financial institutions, representative bodies and regulators.
Paul holds a degree in commerce from UCC and a CIMA Advanced Diploma in Management Accounting and has lectured full-time at UCC and part-time at UCD. He is a former Senior Independent Director of the State’s Investor Compensation Company Limited, a Director of the Irish League of Credit Unions and a Council Member of the Irish Computer Society.
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.
Síona 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.
Emily Sherlock
Legal Aid Board
Emily Sherlock qualified as a solicitor in England & Wales in 2005, working initially in general practice in England and Wales. Emily is admitted to the roll of Solicitors in Northern Ireland and then Republic of Ireland and has spent most of her career specialising in Family, Child care Law and Civil Litigation.
Emily joined the Legal Aid Board in 2011 and was appointed Director of Internal Service Delivery (Civil) with the Legal Aid Board in December 2023. She holds a Master of Laws and was previously a Committee member of the Family and Child Law Committee of the Law Society. Emily is a member of a number of Committees with the Department of Justice and Court Service. As Director of Internal Service Delivery (Civil) Emily is responsible for the Legal Aid Board’s network of Law Centres who deliver legal services on behalf of the Legal Aid Board as well as being part of the Senior Management Team within the Organisation.