Northern Ireland

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

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

BLM's Belfast Office has ushered in the New Year with four hires: Alanna Meeke, Klaudia Liberek, Laura Connor and Sara Brady. Solicitor Ms Meeke said: "After qualifying as a solicitor in 2017, I spent my first three years specialising in plaintiff litigation dealing mainly in the areas of indus

Ulster University law lecturer, John Keers, has been appointed to the Northern Ireland Judicial Digitisation Steering Group. The Lord Chief Justice, Sir Declan Morgan QC, has tasked the steering group with determining the judiciary’s requirements for digital transformation.

Victims of domestic abuse in Northern Ireland will be able to discreetly seek help through pharmacies under a new scheme launched by the UK government. The scheme will initially be available in Boots pharmacies, as well as a number of other independent pharmacies. Participating pharmacies will have

A proposed strategy to support and challenge women and girls who are on the cusp of offending or who have already turned to crime has gone out for consultation. The consultation document focuses on working with women and girls throughout their contact with the justice system and particularly at an e

Two women have been granted permission to bring a judicial review over the length of NHS waiting lists in Northern Ireland. Solicitor Ciaran O’Hare of McIvor Farrell Solicitors is representing litigants May Kitchen and Eileen Wilson in the "first-of-their-kind" proceedings.

Lawyers and rights campaigners have called for the establishment of a public inquiry into mother and baby homes in Northern Ireland. The Irish government yesterday published the final report of the Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Inquiry established in 2015, which looked at mother and baby homes

UK law firm TLT, which employs around 100 people in Belfast, has entered into a strategic alliance with Belgian law firm GSJ advocaten. The firms have significant expertise in common across a number of sectors including real estate, financial services, retail and the public sector, enabling cross bo

Belfast-based MKB Law has announced the appointment of Aoife McCann as a solicitor in its family law team. A graduate of Queen's University Belfast and the IPLS, Ms McCann undertakes cases such as divorce and separation, domestic violence, children’s contact and adoption, public law Care Order

Northern Ireland's human rights watchdog has launched legal action against the government over its failure to commission and fund abortion services. The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission yesterday announced it had lodged judicial review proceedings in the High Court against the Secretary of S

A coalition of over 90 NGOs and trade unions has raised concerns that recent appointments to the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (NIHRC) are too "state-centric". The Equality Coalition has made a formal complaint to the Northern Ireland Office over the proportion of recent appointees drawn

Proposals to significantly expand the spent convictions regime in Northern Ireland for the first time since its introduction more than four decades ago have gone out for consultation. The consultation, to run until 5 March 2021, presents proposals to reform the Rehabilitation of Offenders (Northern