Married with a young family, Alban Maginness was educated in St Malachy's, Belfast and the University of Ulster at Coleraine. He read for the Northern Ireland Bar at Queen's University Belfast, and was called to the Northern Ireland Bar Michaelmas in 1976 and the Bar of Ireland Michaelmas in 1984. In 2007 he completed a Masters in Human Rights Law from Queens University, Belfast.

Politics:

While at university he became involved in the non-violent protests organised by the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association. Alban has been a member of Belfast City Council since 1985. He was elected as Belfast's first nationalist Lord Mayor in 1997, pioneering a spirit of partnership politics on Belfast City Council.

Alban was Chairperson of the SDLP from 1985-1991. He was a party candidate for the 1992, 1997, 2001 and 2005 Westminster elections, coming runner up. He was elected to the Inter-Party Talks in 1996 and was also a party delegate to the Brooke Talks in 1992 and to the Forum for Peace and Reconciliation in Dublin. He was elected to Northern Ireland Assembly in June 1998 and was successfully re-elected in November 2003 and March 2007.

Alban held the position of Chair of the Assembly's Regional Development Committee, which was responsible for; transport planning, public transport, roads, rail, ports and airports, city visioning, water, strategic planning.

He was also Chair of the Ad Hoc Committee on the Proceeds of Crime Bill. He is currently the Chair of the SDLP Assembly group, a member of the Assembly Commission and the Social Development committee. Alban is the SDLP Spokesperson on Justice and was the SDLP delegate to the Bill of Rights Forum. Alban is also a member of the Committee on the Administration of Justice (CAJ).

Additional Information:

Alban has a keen interest in European affairs and was a delegate to the Committee of the Regions and he is currently a member of the Special Observer Pillar of the National Forum on Europe.