Membership, Constitution and Procedure
The Tribunal is established by virtue of Article 43 Solicitors (Northern Ireland) Order 1976 as amended.
The Rules regulating applications and complaints held by the Tribunal are The Solicitors (Disciplinary Proceedings) Rules (Northern Ireland) 1990.
Members of the Tribunal are appointed by the Lady Chief Justice of Northern Ireland. Tribunal Members are not appointed by or employed by the Tribunal. Solicitor and Lay Members are initially appointed for a three year term which may be renewed on application. Vacancies are filled following an open and transparent competition. The most recent competition was concluded in August 2025.
Pursuant to Article 43(1) of the 1976 Order Solicitor Members of the Tribunal must be a practising solicitor of not less than ten years’ standing. Lay Members must not be either solicitors or members of the Bar of Northern Ireland.
The current President of the Tribunal is The Honourable Sir David McFarland. There are 10 solicitor members and 19 lay members.