Northern Ireland

Corporate law firm MKB Law has announced a six-figure refurbishment of its Belfast offices ahead of plans to boost its headcount by 15 per cent over the next three years. The full-service law firm currently has a team of 40 staff focusing on corporate, property, financial, debt recovery, dispute res

Reform of gambling legislation in Northern Ireland is "long overdue", gambling law expert James Griffiths has said. Mr Griffiths, a senior associate at Pinsent Masons in Belfast, has welcomed a consultation launched by the Department for Communities (DfC) on the regulation of gambling.

Alliance Party leader Naomi Long has been elected as Northern Ireland's justice minister after the five main political parties signed up to a deal to restore devolution. Independent unionist MLA Claire Sugden, who held the justice brief from 2016 to 2017, had expressed her interest in resuming the r

Northern Ireland councils have paid out at least £1.3 million in personal injury cases since 2015, according to new figures. A total of £1,350,497 was paid out by six councils who disclosed their pay-outs to the Belfast Telegraph, while the other five councils said they did not have a pr

Same-sex couples in Northern Ireland can give notice of their intent to form a civil marriage to the General Register Office for Northern Ireland from today following a change in the law last summer. The first same-sex weddings are expected to take place from 10 February 2020, following the minimum

Proposals to reform family reunification rules for people in Northern Ireland have been welcomed by immigration rights campaigner Emma DeSouza. Speaking to Irish Legal News, Mrs DeSouza said the proposed changes would "lift a tremendous weight off many families", but warned that the proposals did no

Over 100 new apprentice solicitors have been welcomed by the Law Society of Northern Ireland this week.

Families bereaved and injured in IRA bombings allegedly using Libyan-supplied Semtex have launched civil claims aimed at the State of Libya. Belfast firm KRW Law is acting for a number of families affected by fatal explosions in Belfast, Enniskillen, Derry, Newry and London between 1987 and 1994.

Stricter new anti-money laundering (AML) regulations have come into force across the UK with effect from today. The Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing (Amendment) Regulations 2019 update the UK's AML regime to incorporate international standards set by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) an

The introduction of domestic homicide reviews (DHRs) in Northern Ireland has moved forward with the launch of a recruitment process for three independent chairs. The DHR process was introduced in England and Wales in 2011 under section 9 of the Domestic Violence, Crimes and Victims Act 2004 and its

A landmark case concerning the circumstances in which a border poll will be held in Northern Ireland will be heard by the Court of Appeal in Belfast today. Victims' rights campaigner Raymond McCord is appealing the High Court's June 2018 ruling that the Northern Ireland Secretary does not have to ma

A consultation paper on strengthening Northern Ireland's hate crime laws has been launched. Judge Desmond Marrinan was appointed last summer to lead an independent review of hate crime laws, fulfilling a commitment given by former Justice Minister Claire Sugden and following calls from across the cr

Mallon McCormick Solicitors has raised over £4,500 for NI Chest Heart and Stroke in a pilot run of the charity's will-writing initiative. Solicitors at the Maghera-based firm waived their fees for will writing services during November and instead invited clients to donate to NICHS.

Employment tribunal claimants in Northern Ireland will have to consider the option of early conciliation before formally lodging their claim under a law taking effect later this month. From 27 January 2020, anyone who wishes to lodge a claim with the Industrial Tribunal or Fair Employment Tribunal m

The High Court in Belfast has reserved judgment in a case concerning whether a teenager suffered discrimination when he was named as a criminal suspect by media outlets. JKL, from Co Antrim, was arrested in October 2015 when he was 15 years old in connection with the high-profile TalkTalk hack.