Simon Murphy (pictured) was nominated by the Council of the Law Society, at its meeting on 11 September, to be a new member of the Legal Services Regulatory Authority (LSRA).

The names of nominees are subject to approval by the Cabinet. Following that, the appointments to the LSRA are made by resolutions of both Houses of the Oireachtas.

Four-year terms

The eleven-member authority, with its lay majority, was created as a new regulator of legal services in Ireland under legislation enacted in 2015.

The act provides that that the Law Society can nominate two practising solicitors, one male and one female, to serve four-year terms each on the authority. Geraldine Clarke was re-nominated for a second term last year.

Simon will replace James MacGuill whose term on the LSRA expired on 30 September. James chose not to seek re-appointment as he is shortly to commence the Presidency of the CCBE, representing the Bars and Law Societies of Europe.

Wide experience

Simon, like Geraldine and James, is a past-president of the Law Society, having served as such in 2015-16. He is a partner in JRAP O’Meara LLP Solicitors in Cork, and is a former president of the Southern Law Association. 

He is well qualified to serve as a public interest regulator on the authority as he has remarkably wide and relevant experience.

Prior to his presidency of the Law Society, he both served on, and chaired, the Society’s three main regulatory committees, namely the Regulation of Practice Committee, the Complaints and Client Relations Committee, and the Education Committee – the only individual in recent memory in the Law Society to have chaired all three committees.