Maura graduated from Queen’s University Belfast in 1993 with a BA Hons in Law. After a year travelling and living in Italy and completion of a Legal Practice Diploma with Westminster College London, Maura embarked on an apprenticeship with a top-ranking family law specialist practice qualifying in 1998. Maura continued to work with this practice, developing her skills in all areas of family law. She ran a Domestic Violence drop-in clinic and volunteered with Victim Support, Rape Crisis and Solas Anois. Maura became an accredited member of the Law Society’s children panel in England in 2001 where she worked closely with Guardian Ad Litems’ representing children in court proceedings concerning their care.

In 2003 she returned to Northern Ireland joining a Belfast based general practice and founded the family law department shortly after arriving. Maura specialised in family law for a further 10 plus years, heading up a team of 10+ solicitors dealing with a large volume of work on a day to day basis.

In 2015 Maura’s growing interest in family mediation culminated in her embarking on a Foundation Course with Family Mediation N.I. (F.M.N.I.) and she became a fully accredited mediator with the Mediators Institute of Ireland (M.I.I.) in 2017. Maura has undertaken mediation work since and continues to espouse the benefits of using mediation whenever it is suitable to do so. Maura sits on the FMNI panel as a sessional mediator.

Maura is passionate about her specialism in family law and mediation, and always places her clients’ best interests first when advising on the way forward to minimise the stress and anxiety often prevalent in these areas of work. Maura is empathetic and sensitive to the problems faced during, before and after the breakdown of a relationship and will work with you to try and find the best solution for you and your family.