Our Team
The Legal Services Regulatory Authority is an independent authority which supports the recruitment, training, development and performance management of its staff.
Management Team
The Chief Executive of the LSRA heads up a team of staff across four units including Complaints, Legal Services, Research and Corporate Services. Our management team consists of:
Dr Brian Doherty
Chief Executive Officer
Brian Doherty is the Chief Executive Officer of the Legal Service Regulatory Authority. He was called to the Bar in 1996 and initially practised in Belfast. He joined the Office of the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland when it was set up in 2000 as one of the first civilian investigators, working on allegations of misconduct against the then RUC, later the Police Service of Northern Ireland. In 2007 he moved to the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission as a senior investigating officer, later progressing to acting Deputy Director of Investigations. He returned to the Northern Ireland Police Ombudsman in 2014 to run the Current Investigations Directorate. Brian took up post as the CEO of the LSRA in September 2017.
Deirdre Fleming
Head of Corporate Services Department
Deirdre Fleming was appointed Head of Corporate Services in October 2019. Deirdre has significant experience in corporate services and finance within the public sector including in the Houses of Oireachtas, Law Reform Commission and recently the Office of Revenue Commissioners.
Nuala Haughey
Head of Communications, Research and Innovation Department
Nuala Haughey was appointed Head of Communications, Research and Innovation in November 2019. Nuala’s background is in journalism and policy analysis. She is a former award winning Social Affairs Correspondent with The Irish Times and has extensive experience as a communications consultant with the European Commission. Nuala has also worked as a political communications director and a policy analyst and researcher.
Padraig Langan
Head of Registration, Levy and Fees Unit
Padraig Langan was appointed the Head of the Registration, Levy and Fees Unit in July 2018. Previous to this, Padraig worked in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine in the Press Office and, prior to that, the Meat and Milk Policy Division where he gained experience working on policy issues. Padraig has more than 20 years of experience in the public sector.
Alison McIntyre
Head of Legal Services, Levy and Registration Department
Alison Emily McIntyre was appointed Head of Legal Services, Levy and Registration Department in October 2019 and will take up her role in March 2020. Prior to this Alison was an Assistant Commissioner with the Irish Data Protection Commission where she worked as a legal adviser and as their Data Protection Officer. Alison has experience in private practice and in public sector organisations.
Ultan Ryan
Secretary
Ultan joined the Civil Service in 1985 and worked for the Central Statistics Office before joining the Department of Social Welfare as a systems analyst in 1992. Ultan moved to the Department of Justice in 2000 where he worked on Cross-Border Justice projects including as Secretary to the Remembrance Commission. Ultan worked as project manager and operations manager with the Reception and Integration Agency before assignment to the LSRA in January 2017.
Tony Watson
Head of Complaints, Investigations and Resolutions Department
Tony Watson joined the LSRA in September 2019 and is the Head of Complaints, Investigations and Resolutions. He qualified as a solicitor in England and worked as a litigator in London. He moved to Ireland in 2005 and joined the Complaints Section of the Law Society of Ireland, where he was Deputy Head of Complaints prior to joining the LSRA. Tony has extensive experience in the regulation of lawyers, and the investigation and resolution of complaints in particular.
Eleanor Carmody
Eleanor Carmody, Head of Complaints and Resolutions Unit
Eleanor qualified as a solicitor in 1999 and worked mainly as a conveyancer in a general practice in Fermoy, Co. Cork. She joined the Law Society in 2008 and worked as a solicitor in the Complaints and Client Relations section investigating complaints against solicitors. Eleanor joined the LSRA in September 2019 as a Complaints Resolution Officer, and was appointed Head of the Complaints and Resolutions Unit in February 2020.