The Law Society of Northern Ireland admitted 140 newly qualified solicitors to its roll during a ceremony on Friday at Assembly Buildings in Belfast city centre.

Registrar David A. Lavery CB presented the solicitors to Lady Chief Justice Dame Siobhan Keegan and Society president Mark Borland. The event drew 500 guests including family and colleagues.

Mark Borland advised the group to adjust to changes driven by artificial intelligence and advancing legal technologies. He stressed their duties to clients and the community, along with awareness of political, economic and legislative factors. Borland also called for safeguarding those unable to afford legal help.

The admissions included first recipients of the Society's centenary bursary, launched in 2023 to aid entrants from disadvantaged backgrounds. Fifteen additional solicitors joined via reciprocal agreements with England and Wales and the Republic of Ireland.

Dame Siobhan Keegan noted the solicitors' contributions to the profession. Prizes went to Mark McCullough for top score in the trainee solicitors accounts regulations exam and to Courtney Vance for top score in professional conduct.

The gathering ended with photographs of the new solicitors alongside Keegan and Borland.