THE Honourable Mr Justice McAlinden was appointed a High Court judge just over two years ago.
Before becoming one of eight High Court judges in the north, Gerry McAlinden QC was a leading barrister, specialising in the field of clinical negligence and public inquiry work.
He was educated at St MacNissi's College near Carnlough, Co Antrim and graduated in law from Queen's University Belfast in 1985.
He was called to the bar the following year and appointed Queen's Counsel in 2011.
In 2014, the father-of-three was elected chairman of the Bar Council, serving for two years.
He was also appointed to the Coroners’ Panel of Senior Counsel, representing coroners in inquests including Troubles legacy cases.
Justice McAlinden is also a past president of the Mental Health Appeal Tribunal.
When asked what his post's biggest challenge is, the judge said its "heavy workload".
"You have to stay on top of your case workload, whilst simultaneously ensuring your decision making is of high quality and reasonably prompt," he said.
