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People who attack police officers or ambulance staff could face stiffer prison sentences in Northern Ireland following a review, Justice Minister Naomi Long has indicated. At present, offenders brought before a magistrates' court can be jailed for up to six months and those brought to the Crown Cour

The "unprecedented and very serious" backlog in the criminal courts due to the Covid-19 pandemic poses a serious risk to the criminal justice system, the four justice watchdogs in England and Wales have warned. In a joint report, the police, prosecutors, prisons and probation inspectorates expressed

Northern Ireland judges and lawyers have condemned the murder of two women judges of the Supreme Court of Afghanistan. The judges were killed on Sunday morning after gunmen ambushed the court vehicle which was taking them through northern Kabul to their office.

Benjamin Bestgen considers the fairness of the high standards to which we hold lawyers. Read last week's jurisprudential primer here. The legal profession is a deeply human one and humans are complex creatures. As a species we are capable of extraordinary feats of courage, intellect, wisdom, kindnes

Controversial legislation which would protect some British soldiers from prosecution for suspected war crimes overseas is due to be debated in the House of Lords this afternoon. Peers will hear from a co-chair of the International Bar Association's Human Rights Institute and former heads of the Brit

A teenager who was rapped for supporting Black Lives Matter protests turned the tables on her mother by turning her in for allegedly trying to storm the Capitol. Helena Duke, 18, took to Twitter to highlight footage of her mum, uncle and aunt among the mob of pro-Trump rioters who wreaked havoc earl

The Court of Appeal has upheld a six-year sentence, with the final two suspended, handed down to a juvenile for dangerous driving that left a two-year-old with life-changing injuries. The judges adjusted another sentence handed down, and reduced the period of disqualification. Background

Arthur Cox has announced the appointment of David White as a new partner in its corporate and commercial team in Belfast. Mr White, who joined the firm from an international London law firm in 2013, works across a range of company and commercial law areas with particular expertise in advising on mer

Cork-based Cantillons Solicitors has announced the appointment of Collette Neville and Sarah McNulty, bringing the number of solicitors in the firm to 15. Ms Neville, who joins from the commercial property and real estate team at a leading Irish law firm, has extensive experience across all aspects

The "Nightingale venue" established at the International Convention Centre in Belfast (ICC) to facilitate court and tribunals business has hosted a hearing for the first time. The ICC became a Nightingale venue two weeks ago but had only hosted jury empanelment until yesterday, when it hosted a Coro

Draft legislation to create a specific offence of stalking and provide for the introduction of stalking protection orders in Northern Ireland has been brought to Stormont. The 20-clause Protection from Stalking Bill introduced by Justice Minister Naomi Long yesterday marks a major step forward in a

Landmark legislation creating a specific offence of domestic abuse will be brought into effect by the end of the year after clearing its final stage in the Northern Ireland Assembly. The Domestic Abuse and Civil Proceedings Bill was originally expected to be signed into law by the end of 2020, but w

Ireland has one of the highest rates of data breaches in the EU, according to a new report from global law firm DLA Piper. According to its latest annual survey of GDPR fines and data breaches, a total of 6,615 data breaches were reported to Ireland's Data Protection Commission in the past 12 months

Legal rights group FLAC has criticised ministers for giving "contradictory and confusing explanations" for the retrospective taxation of the Covid Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP). Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys told RTÉ's News at One that the government has "always been clea

A&L Goodbody has announced the extension of its partnership with Ulster Rugby and its official sponsorship of the A&L Goodbody Premium Lounge at Kingspan Stadium. The extension will see ALG continue to sponsor the venue, which underwent a £20,000 refurbishment earlier this year as part