Presidential & Senior Management Team

Darren Toombs grew up in Warrenpoint, was educated at Abbey CBS in Newry and graduated with an Honour’s degree in law and accountancy from Queen’s University Belfast in 1998.

He accepted an apprenticeship with MacElhatton & Company Solicitors in Belfast, graduated from the IPLS QUB in 2000, and was admitted to the Roll in that same Millennium year.

In 2003, Darren moved to the Litigation Department within Carson McDowell Solicitors where, for the next 15 years, he headed up the Debt Recovery Team and the firm’s Departmental Enforcement Team, for bodies such as The Planning Service, The Roads Service and Translink.

Following the opening of an opportunity within the firm, he moved to working within the Insolvency sphere, quickly gaining a sound reputation litigating for Trustees, Administrators and Liquidators. On that insolvency litigation foundation, he has built a full Insolvency and Restructuring Team within the firm over the past 7 years.

Darren has been recognised as a leader in his field in the areas of Debt Recovery and Insolvency and Restructuring in the Chambers and in the Legal 500 Directories over the years. His team is recognised as one of Northern Ireland’s leading teams in its specialism.

He has been active in a number of professional bodies over the course of his career including the NIYSA where he was Vice Chair in 2005.

Darren was co - opted onto the Education Committee of Law Society of Northern Ireland in 2006.

In 2015 he was elected to the Council of the Law Society of Northern Ireland and has served on a range of Council Committees.

In recent years Darren has been a member of the Society’s Professional Conduct Committee, the Contentious Business Committee and the Future of the Profession Committee. He currently chairs the Society’s Education Committee and also serves as a nominee of the Society on the Council of Legal Education at the IPLS.

Darren was an active hockey and Gaelic football player from childhood and has a passion for road cycling and racing.

One of Darren’s proudest moments representing the Society, was participating in the 110-mile cycling leg, of the “renowned” Ironlaw triathlon relay race victory, against the Law Society of Ireland team in 2019.

Darren was President of the Law Society of Northern Ireland for the 2023-24 council year.

Mark was born in Derry/Londonderry in 1971 and spent his formative years in Antrim attending Greystone Primary School and Antrim Grammar School.

In 1990 he moved to Scotland to study at Dundee University from where he graduated with Honours in 1994 obtaining a 2:1 in Law. In 1994 he returned to Northern Ireland and began training with Conway, Flood and Todd Solicitors before attending the Institute of Professional Legal Studies (IPLS) in 1995 and qualifying as a solicitor in 1996. 

Mark continued his career with the firm as an assistant solicitor before becoming a partner in 2001 where he remains, specialising in conveyancing, wills, probate and licensing at the renamed Conway, Todd, and Co Solicitors. 

In 2014 he was appointed as a Notary Public - the only one practicing in the Antrim area and in 2016 he was elected to the Council of the Law Society of Northern Ireland. Following his election, he has served on several important committees including chairing Financial Services and Professional Conduct. 

27 November 2024 Mark was appointed as Junior Vice President of the Law Society of Northern Ireland. 

David Lavery was appointed Chief Executive of the Law Society of Northern Ireland in September 2019.

David also previously served as Chief Executive of the Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service and as Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Northern Ireland Department of Justice.

He also served as Principal Private Secretary to the First Minister from 1998-2001.

David holds an LL.B from Queen’s University, Belfast and an LL.M from Harvard Law School. He spent the earlier part of his career in private practice.

He was a Knox Fellow at Harvard and an Associate at Harvard’s Centre for International Affairs. He is an Eisenhower Fellow and a Visiting Professor at Ulster University.

Mr Lavery is a Member of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission.

In 2008 he was made a Companion of the Order of the Bath.