Profile/George Birmingham SC: Leading senior counsel George Birmingham was asked to lead the commission of investigation into the Dean Lyons case by Minister for Justice Michael McDowell in February this year.
Mr Birmingham is one of the country's most experienced senior counsel in criminal law. He works mainly for the prosecution, although he has also defended in some high-profile cases.
He conducted the preliminary inquiry into clerical child sex abuse in the Ferns diocese.
The 52-year-old from Sutton, north Dublin, was educated in St Paul's College, Raheny, Trinity College Dublin and the King's Inns.
He was a member of the Dáil from 1981, representing Dublin North-Central until 1989; he served as Minister of State in the Department of Labour (1982-86), in the Department of Education (1983-86) and in the Department of Foreign Affairs (1986-87).
He has practised law as a barrister since he stood down from elected politics following his defeat in the 1989 general election.
He was called to the inner bar in 1999.
The commission of investigation was set up to inquire into how Mr Lyons was charged with the double murder; how the charges came to be dropped later; and why no one else has been charged with the murder. It was held in private and took just under six months to carry out at a cost of less than €1 million.
