Member Forum 2026 Listening, Learning, Shaping the Future

Hook Tangaza provides consultancy and managed services to the legal market. Our focus areas are trade, regulation, education and training, technology and innovation and business development. Our clients include professional and regulatory bodies as well as international institutions, governments and professional services businesses.

Antoinette Moriarty trained as an organisational consultant, psychotherapist, and group analyst, and has over two decades experience working across professional services, educational, and corporate sectors. Antoinette is currently Director of Solicitor Services at the Law Society of Ireland, where she is committed to co-creating, with solicitors, a culture and practice of law that is future fit, performance driven and humanly sustainable.  

Antoinette’s work is deeply informed by systems thinking as well as her clinical and group analytic training, enabling her to approach individual, organisational, and cultural challenges with psychological depth and strategic clarity. Antoinette has designed The Complete Lawyer programme and is curator of the Well Within the Law Festival, both of which have become recognised platforms for innovation in legal wellbeing. 

Antoinette currently serves as a Commissioner for the International Bar Association’s Professional Wellbeing Commission. 

Carla Hoppe is the founder of Wealthbrite, which delivers employee financial education in the legal sector. Wealthbrite helps reduce the distraction money worries can create so that people can focus on their work and giving their clients the best possible advice.

Caroline Price studied Law with Spanish at Queen's University Belfast (2011-2015) before beginning her career in a large retail organisation, where she managed a team of over 100 people. She subsequently trained at the Institute of Professional Legal Studies (2018-2020), gaining experience in both private client and litigation practice before moving to a leading corporate law firm, where she specialised in media, technology, and commercial litigation.

Following a year of maternity leave, Caroline moved in house and joined NIPSO as Head of Legal, where she continues to apply her legal and problem-solving expertise in the public sector.

Outside of work, Caroline enjoys travelling, taking part in a weekly parkrun, and singing with the pro bono choir. Although much of her free time is currently spent keeping up with her 18-month-old son.

Professor Cherie Armour is Professor of Psychological Trauma and Mental Health in the School of Psychology at Queen's University Belfast and Director of the Research Centre for Stress, Trauma and Related Conditions (STARC), established in 2019 to focus on the psychological wellbeing and mental health of those who have experienced stress, adversity, and trauma. Her research investigates the mechanisms explaining risk and resilience across a wide range of mental health outcomes, with a particular focus on post-adversity psychological resilience. Working across child, adolescent, and adult populations, she examines trauma types including childhood maltreatment, interpersonal, sexual, and domestic violence, and occupational traumas experienced by a range of professionals including healthcare workers, emergency services, armed forces personnel, and more recently those in the legal profession, as well as secondary trauma in families. Her work explores the biological, psychological, and social factors including social support, emotion regulation, sleep, and loneliness, that differentiate post-adversity illness from post-adversity wellness.

Ciarán May is the founder of Natural Resilience and an experienced facilitator who helps
organisations create the conditions for honest, constructive conversation.
Before founding Natural Resilience, Ciarán served for 12 years with the PSNI in specialist
roles, where listening carefully, staying neutral under pressure and recording accurately
what people said were part of the job. He brings those same disciplines to his work today.
He has worked with organisations including EY, the NHS, Almac, Invest NI and the Irish
Football Association, and has led values and strategy work with sporting bodies and their
members. He is also a TEDx speaker.
At the Member Forum, Ciarán will facilitate The Member Voice and Bridging the Gap
sessions and act as rapporteur for the day, capturing members' views and reporting back
to the Society.

"His ability to engage the room, draw on his own experiences, and keep
conversations flowing naturally created the perfect environment for collaboration
and honest discussion. I'd highly recommend him to anyone looking for a facilitator
who genuinely brings people and ideas together." - Emma Armstrong, Marketing Manager, Henderson Foodservice

Claire McAleer is the Chair of the Law Society’s Women’s Network and has recently taken up post as an Assistant Solicitor with JPH Law, part of The Law Group. Claire qualified in 2009, and left the profession in 2014 after she had her second child. During her time out of the legal profession, Claire held a variety of roles in both a paid & unpaid capacity in the community & voluntary sector working with women. After returning to practice in 2022, Claire has been able to incorporate her passion for the advancement and support of women into her legal career through the Women’s Network. 

A highly experienced Expert Witness and Forensic Accountant, Gabriel joined GMcG’s Belfast office in 1997 and was appointed Partner in 2004. He specialises in the quantification of claims for loss of earnings, pension and other benefits arising from personal injury claims with a particular interest in those involving catastrophic injuries. Gabriel leads GMcG’s financial crime and investigation team which has seen him work on some of the largest and most complex financial crime and proceeds of crime cases in Northern Ireland, a number of which have included multi-jurisdictional aspects. Gabriel also manages a varied portfolio of commercial dispute and professional negligence cases. He has delivered technical update presentations for a range of professional bodies including Chartered Accountants Ireland, the Law Society of Northern Ireland, the Bar Council and Solicitors Associations across Northern Ireland.

Joanne has over 14 years of experience helping law firms strengthen their compliance, risk and regulatory arrangements. She works closely with clients to identify key risks, improve processes and develop practical solutions that support their business objectives.

Joanne specialises in independent audits, AML compliance reviews, policy and procedure assessments, and tailored training. She also manages the Law Society of Northern Ireland account, providing trusted guidance and support to firms across a broad range of risk and compliance matters. Known for her collaborative and pragmatic approach, Joanne helps clients navigate regulatory requirements with confidence.

Jonathan is a Senior Director who leads the Legal Services Professional Indemnity team at Willis. He specialises in the placement and servicing of Professional Indemnity programmes for complex legal sector clients. He combines strong client leadership with established London Market relationships to secure optimal outcomes and maintains service quality. 

Jonathan leads multidisciplinary teams across broking, claims and analytics, providing clear, strategic advice on risk, coverage and insurer engagement. He has over 13 years’ experience specialising in Solicitors’ Professional Indemnity for large law firms. His early career in handling Professional Indemnity claims gives him valuable insight into programme design and claims outcomes.

Dr Jonny Bloomfield is a leading Executive Coach based in Northern Ireland with over 20 years’ experience at the intersection of elite sport and corporate wellbeing. Holding a PhD in Sports Science, he began his career at Ulster Rugby and went on to become the first Sports Scientist for England Rugby, before consulting for Premier League football clubs, professional golfers, and international rugby teams on fitness, fatigue, sleep, and recovery. Today, he is a UKIHCA Registered Health Coach who specialises in empowering high-performing individuals to develop their health, wellbeing & performance longevity through evidence-based strategies in behaviour change and is the first person in Northern Ireland to achieve the National Board Certification for Health & Wellness Coaching. www.jonnybloomfield.com View Jonny’s TEDx Talk

Katherine Macauley joined Joseph Magee Solicitors in 2020 and now leads the firm's Family Law Department. She represents clients at all levels of the court system, from the Family Proceedings Court to the High Court and Court of Appeal. She also appears regularly before the Magistrates' Court and advises clients on a wide range of civil litigation matters.

Katherine is a member of the Law Society of Northern Ireland's Children Order Panel, and a member of the Belfast Duty Solicitors' Rota, demonstrating her commitment to ensuring access to legal representation for those who require it most.

She qualified as an Advanced Advocate in September 2026.

In addition to her legal practice, Katherine is actively involved in the wider legal profession. She currently serves as Vice President of the Northern Ireland Young Solicitors' Association, supporting and representing the interests of young solicitors across Northern Ireland. She has also contributed to legal podcasts produced by the Law Society of Northern Ireland and Queen's University Belfast, providing insight and commentary on legal and professional issues.

Lenore Rice is a solicitor and founding member of the female‑founded practice Adamson Rice.  She specialises in wealth, asset protection and tax planning, advising clients and their professional teams on strategic estate structuring, Wills, Enduring Powers of Attorney and complex estate administrations. She also has significant experience in high‑value matrimonial settlements involving corporate, agricultural and family business structures, trusts and inherited wealth.

She is a full member of STEP, serves on the STEP NI Committee and is an associate member of the Association of Lifetime Lawyers. A trained vulnerable‑person practitioner, Lenore serves on the Council of the Law Society of Northern Ireland, sits on the LSNI Women’s Network Committee and chairs the LSNI Mentoring Committee.  She is also a Women in Business NI Ambassador and Mentor, and mentors with QUB Women in Law.

Lenore contributes to wider women‑in‑law initiatives, including Women in Wills, Women in Tax and the Next 100 Years project, reflecting her commitment to gender equity, professional development and retention across the sector, and to supporting the next generation of female leaders in the profession.  As a founder, she is committed to visible leadership and to creating space for women and small practices to thrive within the profession.

Lenore’s motto to daughters and colleagues:

“If the space isn’t there, create it - and open it for others”

Dr Patricia O’Lynn CMgr is Head of Policy and Engagement at the Law Society of Northern Ireland, where she leads the Society’s policy development and its engagement with government and stakeholders. A former MLA for North Antrim and the first woman elected to represent the constituency, she also served as Special Political Adviser to the Justice Minister. Patricia holds a PhD from Queen’s University Belfast, is a Chartered Manager, CMI assessor and Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, and is a political commentator for BBC Northern Ireland and an Irish News columnist. She is also an EMCC-accredited executive coach.