Northern Ireland

The Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland (PONI) has called on the Department of Justice to launch a review into police failures to disclose "significant" evidence related to legacy cases to the watchdog. Dr Michael Maguire said his investigators had identified significant, sensitive information, so

The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) has referred a Northern Ireland man's drink driving conviction to the County Court. William Smith, represented by Harte Coyle Solicitors, was convicted in his absence at Belfast Magistrates Court in June 2011 in relation to a drink driving offence committe

Draft regulations to allow the Northern Ireland Secretary to appoint an Attorney General for Northern Ireland have been laid before Parliament. The Northern Ireland (Ministerial Appointment Functions) Regulations 2019 will pave the way for Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley to appoint an Attor

Students from the Institute of Professional Legal Studies (IPLS) at Queen's University Belfast will practice their advocacy skills in front of a justice at the UK Supreme Court this year. Students will undertake a moot before Lord Kerr on 5 March in a bout designed to give them the chance to pr

The Department of Justice has today launched a public consultation on how funds under the control of courts should be managed in the future. The funds are currently managed by the Court Funds Office (CFO) on behalf of individuals who need support to manage their financial assets.

The Children's Law Centre has received a £31,000 grant from Northern Ireland's Department of Justice to support young people in Woodlands Juvenile Justice Centre. Over £1.8 million of funding has been allocated under the Assets Recovery Community Scheme (ARCS) to projects aimed at tackli

A consultation on the use of diversionary disposals by the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) has been extended until March. The PPS is updating its guidance on the use of diversionary disposals, which were introduced to simplify and speed up dealing with less serious offending.

An application for third-party discovery pursuant to section 32 of the Administration of Justice Act 1970 of documents held by the Police Ombudsman of Northern Ireland has been refused in the High Court in Belfast. Stating that the documents may be relevant, Master Evan Bell said that on the balance

The son of murdered Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane has said his father was killed to "silence other lawyers", The Irish News reports. John Finucane, himself a lawyer with Belfast-based Finucane Toner Solicitors, spoke at an event at St Mary's University College in west Belfast on Saturday to ma

Journalists have welcomed a Northern Ireland Crown Court ruling which recognises the right of journalists to protect confidential journalistic sources and material. Mr Justice Adrian Colton yesterday rejected an application brought by Alex McCrory, one of three co-accused in an ongoing criminal tria

Belfast solicitor Norman Nesbitt, formerly of Nesbitt Solicitors, has passed away. Mr Nesbitt has practised as a solicitor for over six decades after opening his firm, first known as J Norman Nesbitt, in east Belfast in 1954.

Northern Ireland solicitors have been invited to volunteer as judges in the Mock Magistrates' Court Trial (MMCT) competition 2019. The national competition has been successfully run for a number of years and continues to provide a practical platform for local schools and students to interact with th

Naomi Gaston, senior associate at Mills Selig, writes on the importance of security at major cryptocurrency exchanges. It has been reported that users of Canada’s largest Cryptocurrency Exchange, QuadrigaCX are unable to access most of their funds amounting to around C$180m (£105m) as th

Belfast full-service firm Millar McCall Wylie has been named Northern Ireland Law Firm of the Year at the prestigious Legal 500 awards ceremony in London. The firm, celebrating 21 years in business, has recently experienced double-digit growth and seen its corporate team increase revenue by 100 per

The bakery at the centre of the "gay cake" case has confirmed it will not seek legal costs from the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland. The UK Supreme Court unanimously ruled last year that Ashers Bakery Company's refusal to supply a cake iced with the message ‘Support Gay Marriage&rsquo