Mayor puts legal career on ice for duration of office
Belfast solicitor John Finucane is to put his legal career on hold for a year after his election as Lord Mayor of Belfast.
A partner at Finucane Toner Solicitors, the new Lord Mayor is a son of murdered human rights lawyer Pat Finucane.
He will continue to work on a small number of legal cases, including boxer Carl Frampton’s dispute with former manager Barry McGuigan.
Elected
The lawyer was elected to Belfast City Council earlier this month as a Sinn Féin candidate in the Castle District Electoral Area.
Sinn Fein subsequently nominated him for the mayor’s role and he accepted the chain of office
Finucane and other family members have been campaigning for a public inquiry into his father’s 1989 murder amid allegations of British security forces collusion with loyalist gunmen.
As he accepted the chain of office Finucane said “I want to thank my family for their support and guidance throughout my life. Tonight is a special night for them and, of course, for me.
“And of course never far from my thoughts, more so on a night like tonight, is my father Pat. I know my dad would be proud tonight as my entire family are, as am I, of the position being elected Mayor of Belfast places me in.”