Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland prisons have moved to a "reduced regime", with all prisoners required to remain in their accommodation block, in order to halt the spread of coronavirus. One prisoner and 163 prison staff in Northern Ireland are self-isolating but there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 so far, the

All court business in Northern Ireland will be consolidated in five courthouses with effect from tomorrow, the Lord Chief Justice, Sir Declan Morgan, has announced. The move follows previous measures announced to slow the spread of coronavirus during the global COVID-19 pandemic and will see only ur

Belfast law firm McKees has partnered with accountancy firm Harbinson Mulholland and financial services practice Kerr Henderson to support small and medium enterprises during the coronavirus pandemic. The new SME Support Forum will provide free guidance and support to businesses impacted by the cris

Court cases will "generally" take place remotely, either by email, telephone or Skype, under new coronavirus guidance published by the Lord Chief Justice, Sir Declan Morgan. In an update circulated on Friday evening, the LCJ's office said further measures were being introduced following an assessmen

Christopher Stanley, litigation consultant at KRW LAW LLP, examines the UK government's recent proposals for dealing with the past in Northern Ireland. On Wednesday 18th March 2020, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland published a statement on the British government’s proposal for Deali

The Law Society of Northern Ireland has said its professional conduct department will carry out off-site "desk-top reviews" instead of full inspections until further notice. The professional body's regulation department has completed a review of how it will "avoid imposing unnecessary burdens on mem

All visits to Northern Ireland prisons have been suspended with effect from today in order to slow the spread of coronavirus. Ronnie Armour, director general of the Northern Ireland Prison Service (NIPS), said he "reluctantly" took the decision in consultation with Justice Minister Naomi Long.

Around 140,000 tablets intended for illegal distribution over the internet have been seized in Northern Ireland in part of a global operation co-ordinated by Interpol. The Northern Ireland operation, carried out by Organised Crime Task Force (OCTF) partners, was part of the global "Operation Pangea

The Bar of Northern Ireland has called for an immediate two-week suspension of all in-person court hearing except in "very exceptional" circumstances. The representative body for barristers issued a statement yesterday afternoon in response to the "unprecedented circumstances" created by the coronav

Proposals to limit legacy investigations in order to protect former British soldiers from "vexatious claims" could land the UK government in court, human rights lawyers have warned. Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis yesterday set out the government's proposals to establish a new independent b

The lack of progress on establishing a specialist Traffic Court in Northern Ireland has been criticised by the criminal justice watchdog. Jacqui Durkin, chief inspector of criminal justice, said she was disappointed that the court "has not at least been piloted".

There will be no further oral hearings of cases listed before the Chancery and Probate Master until further notice as a result of the coronavirus outbreak. Solicitors acting for banks and building societies have been invited to submit a written submission by email in respect of every case they have

The Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland has taken measures to reduce the number of people attending court from today. The latest update, issued yesterday evening, is reproduced in full below. The Lord Chief Justice met yesterday with representatives of the legal profession to discuss measures to

The UK government has come under sharp criticism after unilaterally announcing a new approach to legacy investigations which would "protect veterans from vexatious claims". Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis today set out the government's proposals following a six-month consultation in 2018, w

People with multiple convictions will no longer have to disclose all old and minor convictions to employers under changes to the criminal record checking scheme. The AccessNI scheme has been changed to ensure only relevant and appropriate criminal record information is disclosed on certificates, bri