Northern Ireland

Work has recommenced on drafting a defamation reform bill for Northern Ireland, but it is unlikely to be debated until after the next Stormont elections. There have been prominent class for defamation reform in Northern Ireland since the Defamation Act 2013 overhauled the defamation regime in Englan

A transgender woman has brought judicial review proceedings arguing that the requirement to have a medical diagnosis in order to obtain a gender recognition certificate (GRC) breaches her human rights. Solicitor Ciarán Moynagh of Phoenix Law is representing the anonymous woman in the proceedi

Geraldine McGahey, chief commission of the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland, notes the continued importance of the landmark Disability Discrimination Act 1995. Today marks International Day of Persons with Disabilities – a day dedicated to promote full and equal participation of people

Lord Kerr of Tonaghmore, who retired from the UK Supreme Court bench just two months ago, has passed away at the age of 72. Tributes have been paid this morning to the former Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland, who was appointed as one of the inaugural members of the UKSC on its creation in 2009

There is "patchy" evidence of progress on reform of the youth justice system in Northern Ireland, a new report has warned. The Northern Ireland Audit Office (NIAO) has published a follow-up report considering progress made by the Department of Justice and Youth Justice Agency (YJA) since a highly cr

Telecoms giant BT has announced plans to invest over £2.7 million in a new first-of-its-kind legal hub in Belfast, creating up to 30 commercial lawyer roles over the next four years. Seven lawyers have joined the new BT hub, which will offer efficient, high-quality legal support to BT's corpor

Northern Ireland should overhaul its hate crime laws to adopt a statutory aggravation model similar to that in Scotland, a major judge-led review has concluded. Judge Desmond Marrinan was appointed last summer to carry out the independent review, which was first promised in 2017 following calls from

Fergal McGoldrick, associate at Carson McDowell, looks at the latest high-profile defamation case in London and considers how it compares to defamation in Northern Ireland. Amidst the gloom of rapidly darkening November evenings, and the doom of a global pandemic, the London libel court has roared b

Corporate and commercial law firm Mills Selig has announced the appointment of Chris Guy as managing partner. Mr Guy will take on the firm's leadership from 1 December 2020, taking over from John Kearns, who will stay on as senior partner.

The volume and value of deals in Northern Ireland have dropped to their lowest recorded level since 2013, according to a new report. After years of strong growth, there have been just 91 transactions worth £234 million involving a Northern Ireland company so far this year, the latest Experian

Stuart Nevin, associate at A&L Goodbody in Belfast, considers the case law on vacant possession. The recent case of Capitol Park Leeds Plc v Global Radio Services [2020] EWHC 2750 highlights the requirement for tenants to follow the strict conditions set out in a break clause. In deciding whethe

Investigative journalists Trevor Birney and Barry McCaffrey, who won a judicial review in connection with police raids on their homes and office, have reached a settlement with the PSNI. The journalists were arrested and questioned by police in August 2018, shortly after the release of their documen

The High Court of Justice in Northern Ireland has denied leave for judicial review to an applicant, who was not named, who wished to challenge a decision of the Public Prosecution Service (PPS). The PPS had determined that a man, DB, would receive a caution for disclosing a sexual image of the appli

Global legal business DWF has announced the recruitment of two newly-qualified solicitors and six trainees in its Belfast office. The firm said its workload has remained high despite the Covid-19 pandemic and home working, driven largely by the needs of its clients in the real estate, construction a

Courts and tribunals in Northern Ireland will continue to operate during the second two-week "circuit breaker" lockdown, Justice Minister Naomi Long has said. In a statement issued before the start of increased restrictions tomorrow, Mrs Long reiterated that courts and tribunals staff, the judiciary