Barrister Profile

Main Areas of Practice

Administrative Law or Judicial Review
Coroners or Inquests
Criminal Law
Public Inquiries

Biography

Sean‘s main areas of practice are inquests/inquiries, judicial review and crime. He is Senior Counsel to the Muckamore Abbey Hospital Inquiry, which was set up in October 2021. He has been a member of the Coroners’ Panel of counsel since 2009 and has acted as counsel to the Coroner in the conduct of legacy inquests in Northern Ireland. He is also on the Advocate General’s Special Advocate Panel and the Government Legal Service Civil Panel. Sean is an Honorary Professor of Law at Queen’s University Belfast, having taught in the School of Law from 1994 to 2004 and having been promoted to a professorship in 2000. He had previously been a lecturer in law at the University of Manchester from 1988 to 1993. He is author and co-author of several publications in the fields of evidence and criminal procedure and has contributed regularly to conferences and continuing professional education seminars. He was the Bar member of the Northern Ireland Law Commission from 2008 to 2013 and co-leader of the Commission’s project on bail in criminal proceedings in Northern Ireland.