Appointed:
THE HONOURABLE LADY JUSTICE (DENISE) McBRIDE
Lady Justice McBride was appointed as the first female High Court Judge in Northern Ireland on 23 October 2015. Prior to becoming a Judge, she was called to the Bar of Northern Ireland in 1989 and appointed a Queen's Counsel in September 2011. In 2012 she was elected Vice Chair of the Bar Council and served from 2012-2014.
She was appointed by the Lord Chief Justice as Deputy chair of the Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland in October 2015 and served in this position until 2021.
In September 2017 Lady Justice McBride was appointed Chancery Judge in the High Court. In October 2022 she was appointed Commercial Judge and in September 2025 she was appointed Senior Crown Court Judge.
In September 2026 Lady Justice McBride was appointed to the Northern Ireland Court of Appeal.
Lady Justice McBride has made a significant contribution to legal education by tutoring at Queen’s University, Belfast and the Institute of Professional Legal Studies; writing articles for leading legal journals and giving keynote lectures at various local, UK and international legal conferences. In recognition of her long service as a tutor and guest lecturer she was appointed an Honorary Lecturer at Queen's University, Belfast in 2006.
On 6 September 2021 Lady Justice McBride was appointed Judge in Residence at Queen's University, Belfast. She is currently a Visitor of Queen’s University, Belfast and serves on the Council of Legal Education and is a member of QUB nominations committee for Senate.
She is currently the President of the Northern Ireland Medico-Legal Society and President designate of the Truth, Recovery and Redress Service.