Northern Ireland

A unionist who believes the Northern Ireland Protocol has "weakened the Union" has launched a judicial review seeking a declaration that the operation of the protocol is unconstitutional and unlawful. Belfast man Clifford Peeples instructed a solicitor last week and issued judicial review proceeding

Justice Minister Naomi Long has launched two consultation documents on measures to eradicate modern slavery from the supply chains of public and commercial sector organisations. Transparency in supply chains (TISC) involves relevant businesses publishing a modern slavery statement and setting out th

Mr Justice Gerry McAlinden has been appointed as president of the Victims’ Payments Board, which will determine who is entitled to payments under the new Troubles pension scheme. The judge was appointed as interim president of the board last November and will now take on the role permanently f

Northern Ireland needs a dedicated inpatient facility for young people with drug and alcohol issues, the Children's Law Centre (CLC) has said. In a written submission to the Department of Health's consultation on a substance abuse strategy, the law centre said there may be a "critical mass" of child

Barrister Gillian McGaughey BL will serve as a non-executive member of the Northern Ireland Guardian Ad Litem Agency (NIGALA) for a further 12 months. Health Minister Robin Swann today announced the 12-month extension to the terms of two members from 1 February 2021 to a date not later than 31 Janua

Solicitor Anne Kingsley has been appointed to the board of Northern Ireland's Council for the Curriculum, Examinations & Assessment (CCEA). Ms Kingsley is qualified in England and Wales and works as a professional support lawyer for LexisNexis, specialising in local government law, including edu

Rosemary Connolly, principal solicitor at Rosemary Connolly Solicitors, Employment and Equality Lawyers, welcomes the UK Supreme Court ruling in Uber v Aslam and Others (Respondents). The Supreme Court ruled last Friday that taxi drivers providing services to Uber were workers providing personal ser

Alistair Kinley of commercial and insurance law specialists BLM considers the latest developments on the personal injury discount rate in Northern Ireland. At last Friday’s meeting of the justice committee of the Northern Ireland Assembly it was reported that the minister had obtained the agre

Employment lawyer Sarah Cochrane of Belfast-based Carson McDowell comments on a landmark ruling on the employment status of Uber drivers. The UK Supreme Court has handed down its much-anticipated judgment confirming that those engaged by Uber were ‘workers’ and not self-employed contract

Plans for a new joint “care and justice campus” for children and young people lack clarity and should have involved more consultation with children and young people, the Children's Law Centre (CLC) has said. A consultation was launched last October on proposals for a new combined campus

A review led by barrister Peter Coll QC has concluded that Belfast City Council was not pressurised into giving special treatment to the funeral of republican Bobby Storey. Mr Coll was appointed last September to review the council's handling of the funeral after it allowed up to 30 mourners into Ro

Legislation protecting private renters in Northern Ireland from eviction have been extended to the end of September 2021. The Private Tenancies (Coronavirus Modifications) Act requires landlords to give tenants a 12 week notice to quit period before seeking a court order to begin proceedings to evic

Belfast barrister Adele O'Grady QC has been admitted to the International Academy of Family Lawyers (IAFL) as its newest Fellow, as well as its first-ever from Northern Ireland. The prestigious organisation is a worldwide association of practising lawyers recognised by their peers as the most experi

The PSNI's use of discretion and penalty notices to deal with low level offences has improved but more work remains to be done, the criminal justice watchdog has said. Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland (CJI) has published a follow-up review assessing progress in the implementation of reco

A victims' rights campaigner is taking the European Commission to court over its short-lived threat to invoke Article 16 during the EU vaccine crisis. Solicitor Ciaran O'Hare of Belfast firm McIvor Farrell Solicitors has been instructed to bring a judicial review to the General Court of the European