The son of murdered solicitor Pat Finucane says he is proud that his father's memory and legacy will be honoured at a major conference in Dublin next month.

Organised to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the murder on February 12, the conference  will see a  gathering of the top legal minds in the country.

The Pat Finucane Centre, in conjunction with British Irish Rights Watch, are organising the event which will feature speakers such as Judge Peter Cory – who recommended an international inquiry into the murder of Pat Finucane – and Dato Param Cumaraswamy, who first raised concerns over Special Branch harassment of Rosemary Nelson. A close family friend of the Finucanes and High Court Judge, Seamus Treacey, is also scheduled to speak.

After the inauguration of Barack Obama as President of the United States, John said he hoped the new American administration would bring more pressure to bear on the British government on releasing the truth behind his father's murder.

“I appreciate there are lots of major issues going on in the world, but my father's murder isn't going away. With the instalment of Barack Obama we would hope his position would bear fruit for our campaign.

“He made a statement last October about supporting a truth recovery process and made specific reference to the Pat Finucane case and it is encouraging to know that he would support an international inquiry into my dad's murder.”

In response to a series of questions posed by the Irish American Unity Conference, Mr Obama said there should be an independent, public inquiry, as Judge Peter Cory recommended.

Since then, Hillary Clinton –  America's new Secretary of State – and Vice President Joe Biden have both gone on record to support the Finucane family's calls for a no-strings-attached inquiry.

John, who is himself a solicitor with the Kevin Winters law firm in Belfast, said the need for the truth, free from any shackles imposed by the British government, was greater than ever.

“The fact that this conference has been organised should embarrass them. The fact that a lawyer from their courts was murdered for being effective at his job should cause them discomfort. They don't like this issue raised in America, it’s an issue they prefer to keep domestically in Ireland but it's too late for that; the name Pat Finucane is known all over the globe. The events organised for the weekend are all about remembering my father's life and legacy and that is very appropriate because he cared about his work. His legacy represents the standing that the legal community needs to reach and uphold.”