Northern Ireland

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

The total value of debt judgments in the Northern Ireland courts fell by 40 per cent last year, according to new figures from the Registry Trust. There were only 54 judgments worth £4.5 million in the High Court in 2018, a 51 per cent drop in number, a 73 per cent drop in total value, and a 44

A man who stabbed his friend to death must serve a minimum of ten years' imprisonment before he can be considered for release by the Parole Commissioners. The man had consumed alcohol and drugs before fatally injuring his friend with a single stab wound.

John McKee Solicitors has announced the appointment of Alan Bissett and Donald Thompson as partners in Belfast. Mr Bissett, a corporate, commercial and energy solicitor dual-qualified to practice in Northern Ireland and in England, specialises in energy and renewables, where he advises on all aspec

A legal challenge to a search and arrest operation targeting Northern Ireland journalists Barry McCaffrey and Trevor Birney will be heard by the High Court in Belfast in May, the Belfast Telegraph reports. The journalists, who were involved in the making of No Stone Unturned, a recent documentary ab

International law firm Allen & Overy has launched a new route to qualification in its Belfast office, in addition to existing qualification routes in London and Belfast. Graduates in the firm's Belfast office currently have the option to apply to qualify as a lawyer through the Chartered Institu

John Kelly, solicitor at Worthingtons Solicitors in Belfast, explores the response of employers to criminal offences committed outside of work. Following the sentencing of Irish League footballer Jay Donnelly last month for the distribution of an indecent image of a child, there has been much debate