Northern Ireland

Castlerock solicitor Frances C. Buchanan, née O'Hara, has passed away following a short illness. Ms Buchanan, who qualified as a solicitor in Northern Ireland in 1982, is survived by her husband Clark.

Northern Ireland's new abortion regime is too extensive because it covers "non-fatal disabilities", MLAs resolved yesterday after Stormont's first debate on the matter since the law was changed. Under The Abortion (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2020, introduced by Westminster, there is no time limit

Victims of the conflict in Northern Ireland "have been let down again" after the implementation date for a long-awaited compensation scheme was missed, the Victims' Commissioner has said. The scheme was established as part of the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation etc) Act 2019 but the Northern I

A new mailbox has been set up to let lawyers speak with judges to assist with case progression in individual cases. The new system has been introduced as of yesterday following discussions between the Lord Chief Justice, Sir Declan Morgan, and leading members of the legal profession.

Northern Ireland's Planning Appeals Commission (PAC) has announced plans to pilot remote hearings in selected cases within the next four to six weeks. The announcement follows repeated calls from lawyers and the construction industry for Northern Ireland's planning system to catch up with the rest o

Global law firm Allen & Overy has won recognition for a major redesign of its Belfast office to promote agile working.

Eversheds Sutherland partner Matthew Howse explores what the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Bill means for businesses in Northern Ireland. There are decades when nothing happens and weeks when decades happen. This certainly seems the case in terms of Insolvency reforms. The UK Government’

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