Mr Cahill is principal in the firm Cahill & Cahill in Castlebar. He becomes the 150th President of the Law Society.

Mr Cahill will serve a one-year term as president of the 22,000-strong solicitors’ profession until November 2021.

“It is a great honour to serve as President of the Law Society of Ireland for the coming 12 months. To be leading the Irish solicitors’ is a personal privilege; however, this is also time of great challenge,” Mr Cahill said.

Supporting small firms and focusing on business recovery

Outlining his priorities for his term in office, Mr Cahill highlighted a focus on continuing the work of supporting smaller practices across Ireland, leading the profession through the current pandemic and helping firms prepare for business recovery.

“While the Covid-19 pandemic is far from over, there is some cause to be cautiously optimistic about the resumption of normal life and business next year,” Mr Cahill said. “Leading the profession through the crisis and preparing firms to be of service to their clients across Ireland as society and the economy recovers is of utmost importance.”

“Beyond the pandemic, enormous work is being undertaken to support smaller firms and sole practitioners, both urban and rural. That vital work will continue to be a priority for me over the coming 12 months,” he explained.

About James Cahill

James Cahill was born and raised in Castlebar, in Co Mayo. He is one of five children of John F Cahill, a solicitor, and Carmel Caulfield, a physiotherapist. He was educated at the local primary and secondary schools and then at UCD and the Law Society, qualifying as a solicitor in 1979.

He has lived and practised law throughout his career in Mayo, and has been a member of the Law Society Council for 21 years. He has been an active member of the Mayo Solicitors’ Bar Association since qualification, and previously served as its President.

James is married to Katherine Killalea, also a Mayo solicitor. They have three children; Conor, Ellen and Fionnuala. A personal highlight was taking a year out to sail south and across the Atlantic and throughout the Caribbean in a steel boat James designed and built.

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