Catherine Pierse
{{short description|Irish Director of Public Prosecutions since 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Catherine Pierse
| image =
| office = Director of Public Prosecutions
| term_start = 8 November 2021
| term_end =
| predecessor = Claire Loftus
| appointer = Government of Ireland
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| nationality = Irish
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| alma_mater = {{Ubl|University College Cork|Law Society of Ireland|Queen's University Belfast}}
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Catherine Pierse is an Irish solicitor who has been the Director of Public Prosecutions since November 2021.
Early life
Pierse comes from Listowel, County Kerry.{{cite news |title=Kerry woman appointed as next Director of Public Prosecutions |url=https://www.radiokerry.ie/news/kerry-woman-appointed-as-next-director-of-public-prosecutions-256093 |access-date=10 December 2021 |work=RadioKerry.ie |language=en}} She studied at University College Cork.{{cite news |last1=Hutton |first1=Brian |title=Catherine Pierse announced as new director of public prosecutions |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/catherine-pierse-announced-as-new-director-of-public-prosecutions-1.4712260 |access-date=10 December 2021 |work=The Irish Times |date=27 October 2021 |language=en}} She obtained a master's degree in governance from the Queen's University Belfast in 2011.{{cite news |title=Degrees |work=Belfast Telegraph |date=8 July 2011 |page=22}}
Legal career
She qualified as a solicitor in 2001. She first worked as criminal defence solicitor, including as a trial lawyer at Kelleher and O'Doherty solicitors.{{cite web |title=Appointment of Director of Public Prosecutions |url=https://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/5789f-appointment-of-director-of-public-prosecutions/ |website=www.gov.ie |access-date=10 December 2021 |language=en}}{{cite web |title=Duff v Dunne [2004] IEHC 151 |url=https://www.bailii.org/ie/cases/IEHC/2004/151.html |website=bailii.org |access-date=10 December 2021 |date=6 July 2004}}{{cite web |title=After a long and distinguished record across a range of organizations... |url=https://twitter.com/KODLyons/status/1453409269529911296 |website=Twitter |publisher=KOD Lyons |access-date=10 December 2021 |date=27 October 2021}} She later worked as a legal adviser to the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission and was a lawyer at the Central Bank of Ireland.
She was the head of legal, policy and research at the Policing Authority between 2016 and 2018.{{cite web |title=Policing Authority congratulates Ms. Catherine Pierse on her appointment as Director of Public Prosecutions |url=https://www.policingauthority.ie/en/news/policing-authority-congratulates-ms-catherine-pierse-on-her-appointment-as-director-of-public-prosecutions |website=Policing Authority |access-date=10 December 2021}}
Her final position before becoming Director of Public Prosecutions was head of the agency's prosecution support services division.
Director of Public Prosecutions
Pierse was announced as the successor to Claire Loftus as the Director of Public Prosecutions in October 2021. Her appointment was effective from 8 November 2021.{{cite web |title=No. 88 – 1248 |url=https://www.irisoifigiuil.ie/archive/2021/november/Ir021121.pdf |publisher=Iris Oifigiúil |access-date=10 December 2021}}