Ciarán Mulholland

LL.B (Hons), LL.M (Hons), PG Dip. (Law)

Ciarán Mulholland was educated at St Mary’s Christian Brothers’ Grammar School in Belfast and read Law with Irish Language at Magee College, Ulster University, graduating with Honours in 2008 where he was president of the student Law Society. 

He progressed his studies with a Masters of Laws from Queen’s University, Belfast in 2010, specialising in Human Rights with Criminal Justice, and subsequently completed his solicitor’s vocational training at the Institute of Professional Legal Studies (QUB). He was awarded a Post-Graduate Diploma in Professional Legal Studies in 2012. 

Ciarán is dual-qualified and is enrolled on the Roll of Solicitors in both jurisdictions on the island of Ireland enabling him to practice both North and South. He has extensive experience across criminal defence, extradition, civil litigation, and regulatory law. After rising to partner level at a leading Dublin City law firm, where he headed up their superior courts and trial section, he established Mulholland Law, recognising a gap in the legal market for a fresh, outward-looking practice dedicated to complex litigation and international work. 

Throughout his career, Ciarán has been instructed in some of the most high-profile and legally significant cases in recent Irish extradition and criminal law. 

His domestic trial work includes representation in complex criminal matters such as recent high-profile economic crime trials together with serious organised criminal gang prosecutions and subversive cases before the Special Criminal Court. 

Ciarán was one of the first Irish solicitors to participate in the SUPRALAT project, a Law Society of Ireland and Maastricht University initiative to strengthen suspects’ rights in Garda interviews. He has continued to advance his professional development with a Professional Certificate in Data Protection Practice and a Certificate in Mediation. He also contributes to legal education, assisting the Law Society of Ireland in integrating regulatory crime into its Criminal Litigation Professional Practice Course (PPC) for trainee solicitors, where he continues to serve as a Tutor. 

He has published widely on issues including miscarriages of justice, police use of force and surveillance law, and is one of the few Irish lawyers to hold membership in the International Bar Association, the European Criminal Bar Association and the European Fraud and Compliance Lawyers. 

His advocacy has extended beyond Ireland, with appearances before both the Court of Justice of the European Union in Luxembourg and the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. 

Ciarán’s calibre has been recognised with multiple prestigious awards. He was named Sole Practitioner of the Year at the Durham and Dye Irish Law Awards 2024, and in the same year won Civil Litigation Lawyer of the Year for Leinster. In 2025, he achieved the pinnacle of national recognition when he was awarded Lawyer of the Year at the LEAP Irish Law Awards, receiving both the overall national title and the provincial award.  

These accolades reflect not only his exceptional litigation record but also his commitment to innovation, client care, and the highest standards of professional practice. 

Away from his professional commitments, Ciarán is a committed Gaelgeoir, an active advocate for the Irish language, and an enthusiastic supporter of the GAA.