Northern Ireland

The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (NIHRC) and the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland (ECNI) have taken on new roles overseeing the UK government's commitment to protecting equality and human rights in Northern Ireland after Brexit. The government committed in the Northern Ireland Pr

A small number of virtual prison visits will take place on Christmas Day this year, the Northern Ireland Prison Service has announced. The move follows the suspension of physical prison visits from midnight tonight under the latest Covid-19 restrictions.

The Court of Appeal in Northern Ireland has dismissed a company's application for judicial review of a decision to allow an appeal against an enforcement notice targeting a quarry. Coulters Hill Residents Ltd (CHR) had applied for leave to apply for judicial review of the decision of the Planning Ap

Public sector lawyer Claire Archbold has been appointed as honorary professor of practice in public law at Queen's University Belfast. Professor Archbold returns to the university, having been a former academic, while continuing in her role as deputy departmental solicitor for the Northern Ireland C

A damning report from the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland on the treatment of Black Lives Matter protesters will be raised in ongoing litigation, a human rights firm has said. Belfast-based Phoenix Law, which represents a number of those fined for participating in BLM protests in Belfast and D

A new podcast hosted by a Northern Ireland immigration solicitor is aiming to reclaim the phrase "activist lawyer" in order to fight back against government attacks on the legal profession. Sarah Henry, director of immigration services at Newry-based Granite Immigration Law, launched the Activist La

In a “rolled-up” judicial review hearing, the High Court of Justice in Northern Ireland, having granted leave, dismissed an application challenging the Director of Public Prosecution’s decision to prosecute a former soldier for the murder and wounding with intent of two men in 1972

The PSNI's different treatment of Black Lives Matter protesters and loyalist counter-protesters was unfair but not motivated by racism, the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland has said. The watchdog has published a 90-page report into the policing of Black Lives Matter protests in Belfast and Derr

Businesses in Northern Ireland have been protected from the threat of eviction for non-payment of rent for a further three months. Finance Minister Conor Murphy has extended emergency provisions for commercial tenants in the Coronavirus Act 2020 until 31 March 2021.

Jury trials and other courts and tribunals hearings will continue to be held following the imposition of new Covid-19 restrictions, Justice Minister Naomi Long has said. The Northern Ireland Executive has announced a significant tightening of public health restrictions for a six-week period starting

Arthur Cox has joined with The Fostering Network to provide children across Northern Ireland with unique gifts for Christmas. Staff in the law firm's Belfast office will pick out individual presents for 40 children participating in the charity's Step Up Step Down service, where foster carers support

Remote hearings are not delivering effective access to justice in Northern Ireland's family courts, research by an Ulster University academic suggests. The new report by Professor Gráinne McKeever on the impact of Covid-19 on the family courts, based on interviews with practitioners and litig

Proposals to place adult safeguarding on a statutory footing have gone out for consultation. The consultation comes in the wake of last year's scandal around safeguarding failings, including allegations of abuse, at Muckamore Abbey Hospital and Dunmurry Manor Care Home.

Landmark domestic abuse legislation has moved forward with amended provisions on legal aid after the bill was delayed by a major row over "repercussive financial impacts". MLAs last month approved an amendment brought by Rachel Woods, Green MLA for North Down, in the face of opposition from Justice

Former director of public prosecutions Barra McGrory QC has been appointed to the board of Na Píobairí Uilleann (NPU), the body promoting all aspects of uilleann piping. His appointment follows a change in the NPU's constitution to provide for membership at board level of "persons who