Northern Ireland

Moira Smyth QC is the new chair of the Bar of Northern Ireland, beginning a two-year term ahead of the start of the new legal year next week. Ms Smyth, who succeeds Bernard Brady QC, was called to the Bar in 1996 and took silk in 2014. Most of her work as a barrister is in the field of family law.

Retired Belfast solicitor Peter Ford has passed away, the Law Society of Northern Ireland has said. Mr Ford was admitted to the roll of solicitors in 1970.

Northern Ireland's High Court has rejected the most recent claim in a long-running dispute, relating to custody of a 10-year-old boy. The court found that the father had an "inability to prioritise his son’s welfare over his own obsession", and his claims that video call contact was “ter

A former solicitor in Co Down has been given a suspended sentence after defrauding more than £7,000 from the firm which employed him. Christopher Owens, 32, admitted using his position in the Bangor office of Wilson Nesbitt to steal a total of £7,385.50 from September 2015 to March 2018.

Justin Kouame, former chair of the Northern Ireland Community of Refugees and Asylum Seekers, has been appointed to the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (NIHRC). Mr Kouame, who is also a former member of the Northern Ireland Race Equality Sub-Group and Northern Ireland Council for Ethnic Min

A major conference in Belfast next month will mark the centenary of the Law Society of Northern Ireland. Taking place at the Hilton on Friday 23 September 2022, the all-day event will provide attendees with thought leadership and discussion on key issues that will impact the profession in the next 1

Northern Ireland's High Court has ruled in favour of Irish language group Conradh na Gaeilge in a judicial review regarding the failure of the Northern Ireland Executive to adopt an Irish language strategy. Mr Justice David Scoffield ruled that the Executive was in breach of its statutory duty under

A doctor who was suspended from the UK medical register after being arrested as part of a terrorism investigation has lost an appeal to Scotland's Inner House of the Court of Session against a decision of the General Medical Council to extend his suspension until April 2023. Reclaimer IB, who had be

Northern Ireland’s High Court has approved the variation of a last will where it found that the new provisions were of benefit to the deceased's children. The court noted that it would be beneficial for the children to receive a lump sum at the age of 25, especially where the trust would make

Belfast-based Cleaver Fulton Rankin has welcomed four new trainee solicitors. The new trainees are Anna Friel and Adele Patterson, both graduates of Queen’s University Belfast; Cara Smart, a graduate of Ulster University; and Edward Bergin, a graduate of Trinity College Dublin.

Belfast-based Mills Selig has announced the expansion of its climate and energy team with the recruitment of Aveen McGahon as a solicitor upon her qualification in September. The team, led by partners Anna-Marie McAlinden and Glenn Watterson, has enjoyed a prolific year, working on transactions tota

A joint enterprise case has been referred back to the courts as a possible miscarriage of justice for the first time in Northern Ireland. The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) made the referral to the Northern Ireland Court of Appeal (NICA) following a review of directions given to the jury du

A Northern Ireland Crown Court, sitting at Laganside Courthouse, determined that a murderer must wait 20 years before being eligible for parole. This was based on the defendant’s lies regarding how his girlfriend had died, and the general lack of remorse shown by the defendant.

Northern Ireland’s Coroner’s Court found that an army soldier caused the death of a Derry resident in 1971, by shooting into her garden without justification. Soldier D discharged two shots into the rear garden of Kathleen Thompson’s home, in violation of guidance on the matter, as

Community Restorative Justice Ireland (CRJI) has had its funding suspended by Northern Ireland's Executive Office after concerns were raised about its financial and corporate governance. The Executive Office is the single largest funder of CRJI and has funded it to the tune of £1.2 million in