Northern Ireland

Personal injury lawyers and insurers have struck an agreement designed to ease the burden on the Northern Ireland courts during the coronavirus pandemic. The Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) and the Association of British Insurers (ABI) have agreed a protocol which includes the freezing

Controversial proposals to limit legacy investigations in order to protect former British soldiers from "vexatious claims" are set to be examined by a Westminster committee. The House of Commons Northern Ireland Affairs Committee has launched an inquiry to examine the extent to which the UK governme

The Northern Ireland Secretary is not required to publish a policy setting out the circumstances in which he would direct the holding of a border poll, the Court of Appeal in Belfast has ruled. Delivering the judgment, Lord Justice Stephens said the decision to hold a border poll involves "political

Blood donation rules in Northern Ireland are set to be brought in line with the rest of the UK from June. Men who have had sex with other men were barred from donating blood in Northern Ireland until 2016, when the lifetime ban was replaced with a 12-month deferral.

Northern Ireland firm Cleaver Fulton Rankin has partnered with Bequeathed to bring its free will-writing service to Northern Ireland. The online service allows users to a create a simple will for free, but users requiring more detailed legal advice will be referred to the law firm at a fixed price.

Legislation to create a new domestic abuse offence for Northern Ireland is being debated at the second stage in the Northern Ireland Assembly. Addressing a small number of MLAs in the chamber earlier this afternoon, Justice Minister Naomi Long said she was pleased to bring the bill forward, "even th

The PSNI's budget has fallen by more than £200 million in real terms over the past decade, according to a new report. Publishing his findings, Northern Ireland's Comptroller and Auditor General, Kieran Donnelly, said the PSNI had focused on "short-term cost reductions" which means the force "h

A new facility allowing solicitors to top up their suspense accounts through card payments will be piloted from today, the Land Registry has announced. In a note to practitioners, Christine Farrell, the registrar of titles, said testing on the enhanced LandWeb Direct system has been completed.

Lawyers have called for Northern Ireland's planning system to "catch up" with the rest of the UK by introducing remote hearings during the coronavirus pandemic. The Planning Appeals Commission (PAC) has confirmed in a letter to the Northern Ireland Planning Bar Association (NIPBA) that it is "taking

Belfast law graduate Aisha Rob has been awarded a prize for her LLM dissertation on how transitional justice can address statelessness. The annual dissertation prize is awarded by the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission for the highest LLM dissertation mark at Ulster University's Transitional J

A&L Goodbody senior associate Ciaran O'Shiel and solicitor Charlotte Turk explore a recent landmark ruling from the UK Supreme Court. On 1 April 2020 the Supreme Court handed down the eagerly awaited judgment in WM Morrison Supermarkets plc v Various Claimants [2020] UKSC 12.

Edwards & Co Solicitors is taking a novel approach to charity fundraising following the cancellation of major events like the London Marathon. Staff at the Belfast-based firm are aiming to raise £15,000 for their charity of the year, Bowel Cancer UK, without leaving their homes.

Global law firm Herbert Smith Freehills has promoted Belfast office head Lisa McLaughlin to partner. Ms McLaughlin heads the firm's dedicated Alternative Legal Services (ALT) office and has overseen its expansion from 19 fee earners in 2011 to over 240 lawyers, technologists and legal analysts today

Legislation to provide private renters with additional protections during the coronavirus pandemic will not be retrospective to avoid any possible legal challenge, ministers have said. The Private Tenancies (Coronavirus Modifications) Bill 2020, which yesterday cleared the second stage in the Northe

Laura Banks, solicitor at Francis Hanna & Co, considers how human rights law can assist people experiencing a bereavement related to coronavirus. The COVID-19 pandemic has wide-reaching implications and it is therefore throwing up myriad issues in our society, some of them fundamental and going