Sir Paul Richard Maguire PC (born 10 November 1952), styled The Rt. Hon. Lord. Justice Maguire, was an Appeal Court judge in

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until his retirement in 2022. Prior to that he was a

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and a

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

Background

Maguire was called to the Bar in 1978 and became

Queen's Counsel A King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) is a senior lawyer appointed by the monarch (or their Viceroy, viceregal representative) of some Commonwealth realms as a "Counsel learned in the law". When the reigning monarc ...

in 2006. He lectured at

Queen's University Belfast The Queen's University of Belfast, commonly known as Queen's University Belfast (; abbreviated Queen's or QUB), is a public research university in Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. The university received its charter in 1845 as part of ...

, and served as a part-time Chairman of the Employment Tribunals. Maguire unsuccessfully stood for election to

Belfast City Council Belfast City Council () is the Local government in Northern Ireland, local authority with responsibility for part of Belfast, the largest city of Northern Ireland. The council serves an estimated population of (), the largest of any district c ...

for the

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1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...

. He was then elected at the

1982 Northern Ireland Assembly election The 1982 Northern Ireland Assembly elections were held on 20 October 1982 in an attempt to re-establish devolution and power-sharing in Northern Ireland. Although the Northern Ireland Assembly (1982), Northern Ireland Assembly officially lasted ...

for North Belfast. He stood for the Alliance party in the equivalent Westminster constituency of North Belfast at the 1983 general election, taking 9.1% of the vote, then again at the Belfast North by-election in 1986, when he increased his vote share to 16.7%. In the mid-1980s, Maguire left politics and focused on his legal career, rising to become

in 2006,Dan Keenan,
Counsel appointed in Robinson inquiry
, ''

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'', 21 January 2010 and representing the Government in a number of high-profile cases.Peter Robinson probe led by barrister Paul Maguire QC
, ''

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'', 20 January 2010 In 2010, he was appointed to head an inquiry into Peter Robinson's knowledge of his wife's improper financial affairs. He was a member of the human rights advisory committee of the Bar Council. In 2012, he was name
a judge
of the

High Court of Northern Ireland The courts of Northern Ireland are the civil and criminal courts responsible for the administration of justice in Northern Ireland: they are constituted and governed by the law of Northern Ireland. Prior to the partition of Ireland, Northern I ...

. At his High Court swearing in ceremony in May 2012 the Lord Chief Justice, Sir Declan Morgan, said that Mr. Justice Maguire had a distinguished career at the Bar and as senior Crown Counsel and that he would be " an invaluable and honourable addition to our High Court bench" . He was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

in the

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. In January 2021, he was elevated to the Court of Appeal, which is the highest court in Northern Ireland.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maguire, Paul 1952 births Alliance Party of Northern Ireland politicians Living people Members of Belfast City Council Northern Ireland MPAs 1982–1986 High Court judges of Northern Ireland Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Northern Ireland King's Counsel Knights Bachelor