Keegan became a
barrister when she was called to the
Bar of Northern Ireland in September 1994. For each of the financial years from 2013 to 2015, Keegan was the fourth-highest-earning barrister in
Northern Ireland in terms of
legal aid, having received £504,177 in 2012/2013, £513,405 in 2013/2014, and £427,632 in 2014/2015. On 23 October 2015, Keegan was appointed a
judge of the
High Court of Justice in Northern Ireland. She was sworn into office by
Sir Declan Morgan, the
Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland, at the same time as
Denise McBride. This made Keegan and McBride jointly the first female high court judges of Northern Ireland. On 16 June 2021, Keegan was nominated to be Northern Ireland's first female Lord Chief Justice. Keegan chose to be styled Lady Chief Justice and was sworn-in on 2 September 2021. On 29 September, Keegan was appointed to the
Privy Council. ==References==