Northern Ireland

A court in Derry held a hearing outside due to concerns that one of the accused could have coronavirus. Three men and a woman had been due to appear in Derry Magistrates' Court on hijacking charges, but all four had their charges read in the vehicles used to bring them to court.

Retired lawyer and judge John P. Shearer has passed away, the Law Society of Northern Ireland has said. Mr Shearer, originally from Glasgow, was admitted to the roll of solicitors in Northern Ireland in 1954.

The trial of a former British soldier accused of the attempted murder of a 27-year-old man in 1974 could proceed via Skype because of the coronavirus outbreak. Lawyers for Dennis Hutchings, 79, told Belfast Crown Court on Friday that their client has a chest infection and was advised by doctors to s

Law firms Tughans, Millar McCall Wylie and A&L Goodbody (ALG) were among the top winners at Insider's Northern Ireland Dealmakers Awards. Tughans partner John McGuckian was named Dealmaker of the Year and his firm advised on three of the recognised deals.

The PSNI has appointed three new sex work liaison officers under a scheme launched in 2015, bringing the total to five. A specialised operational lead officer has also been appointed as the sixth member of the team.

Belfast solicitor Una Boyd has been named chair of the Law Society of Northern Ireland's Immigration Practitioners' Group (IPG).

Six people have been appointed to the Northern Ireland Policing Board with effect from April. The new independent members are Michael Atkinson, Dr Janet Gray, Edgar Jardine, Carmel McKinney, Frank McManus and Deirdre Toner.

Retired Coleraine solicitor John Lawson Baxter has passed away, the Law Society of Northern Ireland has announced. Mr Baxter, who was admitted to the roll of solicitors in November 1964, passed away on Saturday.

The Office of the Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland has invited applications for an internship scheme running in the first two-and-a-half weeks of September. The internship scheme is open to students who will begin their final year of a law degree at any qualifying university in the UK and Irel

Proposals to streamline the committal process for serious criminal cases will be brought before MLAs before the summer recess, Justice Minister Naomi Long has said. The Committal Reform Bill will allow for serious cases to be transferred directly to the Crown Court without the need for a traditional

The observation post at Omagh Courthouse has been removed but there are no plans to do away with its controversial wire meshing and grills, Justice Minister Naomi Long has said. There have been various calls in recent years for the courthouse to be "normalised" by removing Troubles-era security meas

Over £500 million is set to be paid out to former police and prison officers who sustained injuries while on duty through schemes which require "substantial changes" to remain sustainable. A new report from the Northern Ireland Audit Office reveals that the injury on duty schemes for officers

Campaigners have renewed calls for the UK Government to bring the Widowed Parent's Allowance scheme in line with human rights laws a year and a half after a landmark UK Supreme Court ruling. Belfast solicitor Laura Banks acted for Siobhan McLaughlin in the case which led to a ruling that the legisla

Proposed new domestic violence laws will take up to a year to come into effect to allow for training across the justice system, Justice Minister Naomi Long has said. Ms Long is planning to introduce legislation to make it an offence for a person to engage in a course of abusive behaviour (on two or

Trainees at the Institute of Professional Legal Studies (IPLS) triumphed over law students at Queen's University Belfast to win the Northern Ireland heat of the Client Consultation Competition 2020. Amira Graham and Ross White from the IPLS took on QUB students Taylor Derrien and Brandon Lijdsman in