Northern Ireland

New powers to recover proceeds of crime – including the use of unexplained wealth orders – are set to come into force in Northern Ireland by the end of the year, Stormont's justice committee has heard. A significant number of provisions of the Criminal Finances Act 2017 have been enacted

Abortion laws in Northern Ireland could be tightened again after the DUP and Sinn Féin indicated their opposition to parts of the regulations introduced earlier this year. Under The Abortion (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2020, there is no time limit on abortion in the case of "severe foetal

Police are investigating a major fire at Belfast's historic Crumlin Road courthouse last night. The 170-year-old building is located directly opposite from Crumlin Road Gaol and has laid empty since it ceased to function as a courthouse in 1998.

The number of applications to the legal aid agency's COVID-19 interim payment scheme has fallen sharply in its second full week of operation. The Legal Services Agency (LSA) received 444 requests in the week ending 22 May 2020, a 45 per cent decline from 818 in the previous week.

Lawyers for around 200 people who were interned between 1972 and 1975 will launch legal proceedings against the legality of their detention today following the Supreme Court's landmark ruling in R v Adams. Earlier this month, the court unanimously held that the interim custody order (ICO) made in re

Belfast solicitor Michael Brentnall has been warned for the third time in eight months that he is in "imminent" danger of attack, according to reports. Mr Brentnall, of human rights law firm Brentnall Limited, was told by the PSNI on Wednesday that his home and business are in danger, The Irish News

Lurgan solicitor Harry McCourt is pressing ahead with the establishment of his new firm, McCourt Solicitors, in spite of challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Speaking to Irish Legal News, Mr McCourt, who has practised in Lurgan for the past four years, said the process "has been tricky to say

Northern Ireland's planning system is "lagging badly" behind the rest of the UK in its response to the COVID-19 pandemic by failing to introduce remote hearings, construction industry groups have said. In a joint letter to the Planning Appeals Commission (PAC), nine industry groups expressed "grave

The reconstitution of the Northern Ireland Guardian Ad Litem Agency's (NIGALA) solicitor panel has been postponed for at least six months. The current 95-solicitor panel, constituted in 2015, is approaching the end of its five-year term and a new panel was due to be constituted.

Expiring driving licenses will be extended for an additional seven months under EU legislation taking effect in Northern Ireland. The new arrangements, which do not apply to taxi driver licenses, will be put in place in place in the coming days, Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon said.

The interim advocate for victims of historical institutional abuse has said he will "consider his position" if he is found to be culpable for a recent data breach. The names and email addresses of 250 victims were inadvertently circulated with an email newsletter from Brendan McAllister's office las

Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis has come under pressure to allow same-sex couples in Northern Ireland to have religious marriages and convert their existing civil partnerships to a marriage. Same-sex marriage became legal in Northern Ireland on Monday 13 January under the Northern Ireland (

The Court of Appeal in Belfast will tomorrow consider whether the Department for Communities breached human rights law by refusing bereavement payments to a man after his severely disabled wife died in July 2017. Michael O'Donnell, who is being represented by Law Centre NI, was refused the benefit o

Belfast-based KRW LAW LLP has been shortlisted in a brand new category at the Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year (LALY) awards. The firm, headed by senior partner Kevin Winters, will compete with two other firms for the title of Regional Legal Aid Firm/Not-for-Profit.

Members of the public can now use e-bikes on public roads without the need for registration or licensing following new legislation approved at Stormont. The Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycles (Construction and Use) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2020 was first announced in February and passed by MLA