Northern Ireland

Lady Hale will deliver a speech on "Northern Ireland in the Supreme Court" at a virtual event hosted by the Belfast Solicitors Association (BSA) next week. Brenda Hale, Baroness Hale of Richmond, served as president of the UK Supreme Court from 2017 until her retirement in January 2020.

UK government plans to end all criminal prosecutions linked to the Troubles are "incompatible with the United Kingdom's international obligations", the European commissioner for human rights has said. In a letter to Northern Ireland secretary Brandon Lewis, the Council of Europe's commissioner for h

The High Court has dismissed an application to hold police responsible for dismantling a dangerous bonfire, finding that the threat of “widespread unrest” outweighed the effects of the anti-social and unlawful behaviour. The emergency application was brought by AB, who lives in the vicin

A victims' commissioner for Northern Ireland is set to be established on a non-statutory basis until legislation can be progressed for a statutory commissioner. Justice minister Naomi Long said the decision, which follows a 12-week public consultation, will "ensure this voice for victims can be intr

A new programme which aims to tackle offending among young men by looking at how masculinity and gender stereotypes impact their decision-making has been launched by the Probation Board for Northern Ireland (PBNI). The groundbreaking "Back on Track" programme, which will be piloted later this year,

The High Court has awarded both personal damages and repayment to the company in an unfair prejudice claim against a Coleraine company which voted to oust a founding shareholder. The petitioner, Mr Fergus Shaw, sought relief under section 994 of the Companies Act 2006 on the grounds that the affairs

Proposed new UK immigration laws will "undo progress" on tackling child trafficking in Northern Ireland, the Children's Law Centre (CLC) has said. The Belfast-based law centre said the Nationality and Borders Bill, which is being considered by a Westminster committee from today, will harm children,

Co Antrim law firm Armstrong Solicitors has announced the appointment of Bryan Meldrum as its first-ever chief operating officer. Mr Meldrum joins the Newtownabbey-based firm from the healthcare industry, where he specialised in financial management, business development, management information syst

The Bar of Northern Ireland has said a "radical increase" in the jurisdiction of Northern Ireland's County Court from £30,000 to either £60,000 or £100,000 is "not justified". In its response to a Department of Justice consultation, the Bar said both options represent "a misguided

The number of prisoners on remand in Northern Ireland rose to a record high last year as the Covid-19 pandemic paralysed the courts system. The remand population increased by nearly 11 per cent to 545 for the 2020/21 financial year, the highest level since reporting by financial year began in 2014/1

Belfast law firm Tughans has grown with the appointment of two new directors, four newly-qualified solicitors and three new trainee solicitors. Kevin Hegarty has been appointed as a director in the commercial law firm's healthcare department, while Ben Sims has been appointed as a director in the co

Judge John Curran QC, who retired from Northern Ireland's County Court bench in 2005, passed away yesterday. A barrister, he took silk in 1974 and was appointed as a County Court judge in February 1981, serving for 24 years until his retirement.

Dr Esther McGuinness has been appointed as the new head of Ulster University's School of Law. She succeeds Professor Eugene McNamee, who has served as head of school for eight years.

The High Court has dismissed all seven headings of a land conveyance counterclaim, deeming it to be “clearly an abuse of process”. The plaintiffs, solicitor Andrea McIlroy-Rose and her late father John McIlroy, issued proceedings in 2016 seeking injunctive relief and damages for an alleg

A minister in the Northern Ireland Executive has said her department will have "no part" in enforcing new Home Office rules targeting rough sleepers for deportation. Communities minister Deirdre Hargey said guidance issued by the Home Office in April, to the effect that homeless non-nationals can be