Employment Law Seminars - Speaker

Marie Anderson is a graduate of Queen’s University, Belfast, and qualified as a solicitor in 1985.  After qualifying she worked in private practice for just over 3 years in the area of civil litigation.  Thereafter, she joined the Housing Executive and worked as Legal Assistant, Senior Legal Assistant and Legal Advisor, over a period totaling 17 years.  The focus of her work was human rights law; information law; and judicial review. 

She became the first Assistant Information Commissioner for Northern Ireland in April 2003 and was responsible for setting up the regional office in Belfast.  She held this post for a period of 5 years with responsibility for regulating DPA, FOI, and environmental information matters in Northern Ireland.  She oversaw the investigation of highly sensitive information cases, including one relating to the £26.5 million Northern Bank Robbery, which was one of the biggest bank robberies in UK history. 

She left this position and returned to private practice for a short period of 18 months, where she advised large commericial firms on information law and the law of confidence.  During this period she also dealt with a number of medical negligence claims for private individuals. 

On 1 May 2009 she was appointed as Deputy Ombudsman/Commissioner for Complaints.  She retains her legal practising certificate and is currently Master to a pupil solicitor in the Ombudsman’s office.

She is currently researching for her book on information law for legal practitioners.