A total of 37 legal practitioners are to be permitted to use the title Senior Counsel following the Government’s approval of recommendations from the Advisory Committee on the grant of Patents of Precedence.
On 15 June 2021, the Government announced that it had approved the granting of Patents of Precedence entitling a total of 25 barristers and 17 solicitors to use the title Senior Counsel.
The grant of a Patent of Precedence, in relation to a barrister, entitles him or her to be called to the Inner Bar and to use the title of Senior Counsel. In relation to a solicitor, it entitles him or her to use the title of Senior Counsel.
The Legal Services Regulatory Authority provides administrative and secretarial support to the independent Advisory Committee on the Patents of Precedence, which makes recommendations to Government.
The Advisory Committee was established in April 2020 under the Legal Services Regulation Act 2015 and is chaired by the Chief Justice. The 2015 Act allowed solicitors for the first time to apply to be granted Patents of Precedence.
For the full list of names published by the Department of the Taoiseach on 15 June 2021, see: Patents of Precedence
For further details on the annual Patents of Precedence application process, see Applications for Senior Counsel