Northern Ireland

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

Personal injury and road traffic accident specialist firm JMK Solicitors has welcomed six new solicitors across Belfast and Newry. Caroline Cahill, Amy Goss, Karen McKee, Ailis McKeown, Karen Reavey and Ryan McKeegan have joined the firm in the last six months.

The high-profile legal battle between campaigner Emma DeSouza and the Home Office has come to an end following changes to the Immigration Rules. Mrs DeSouza took legal action in 2015 after her husband Jake was denied a residence card sought as the spouse of an EEA national rather than the spouse of

Nearly a third of solicitor applications and nearly half of barrister applications to the legal aid agency's COVID-19 interim payment scheme have been rejected. The Legal Services Agency (LSA), which launched the scheme two weeks ago, has revealed it had received 818 requests by Friday 15 May.

Proposals for the implementation of the Northern Ireland part of the Brexit deal have been published by the UK government. A new 25-page document sets out how the UK proposes to meet its obligations under the Northern Ireland Protocol, though Tánaiste Simon Coveney said parts of the document

A criminal defence lawyer has sharply criticised safety measures at a specialist COVID-19 custody suite established by the PSNI in Belfast. The new "interview room with a perspex screen" at the Musgrave police station "is inadequate at best, and downright dangerous at worst", solicitor Joe Rice

Lisa Bryson, partner and head of employment at Eversheds Sutherland in Belfast, explores what the re-opening of workplaces in Northern Ireland could look like. Every day brings something new for us all to consider and today’s business leaders will need to consider a number of different issues

Belfast firm Phoenix Law has embarked on an ambitious year of fundraising for addiction charity Davina's Ark. The human rights practice is aiming to raise enough money for the Newry and Mourne-based charity to employ an additional counsellor.

Barrister Conall Patton, who was born in Derry and practices in England and Wales, has been appointed as Queen's Counsel. At 38 years old, Mr Patton of One Essex Court is the youngest person to be named a QC in the 2019 competition.