Naomi Ryan

Naomi was a legal advisor to the DPP and successive Law Officers. In these roles, she advised on high profile and complex criminal cases, including terrorism, international conspiracies and complex financial offending. She regularly advised on whether the Law Officers or DPP should grant their personal consent to the prosecution of criminal cases, which required in depth analysis of whether the Code for Crown Prosecutors was met. She prepared written and oral legal advice, often at short notice and under tight deadlines. Naomi was also responsible for drafting CPS policy and wider policy governing the criminal justice system, including updating the Disclosure Guidelines. She is therefore confident advising on a wide variety of criminal matters and has an in-depth understanding of with the frameworks and policies governing the prosecution of offenders.

Naomi also has significant experience advising on criminal investigations. As a legal advisor to the DPP, she regularly reviewed complex and high-profile investigations and advised the DPP. Moreover, in her most recent role as senior lawyer at the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery, she provided legal advice on criminal and civil investigations into Troubles related serious offending, including murders. This included advising on police powers, reasonable lines of enquiry, civil powers and issues around the admissibility of evidence. The cases were often high profile and involved the scrutiny of matters of national security, the lawfulness of actions of state actors such as the military and security services and competing human rights.