Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland councils are to be given new powers to prepare and publish planning application validation checklists. The Planning (General Development Procedure) (Amendment) Order (Northern Ireland) 2024 (S.R. No.176) will amend The Planning (General Development Procedure) Order (Northern Ireland

Employment lawyer Mark McAllister has been appointed as chief executive of the Labour Relations Agency for Northern Ireland. Mr McAllister, the LRA's director of employment relations services since 2019, succeeds Don Leeson, who has retired as chief executive after four years.

Northern Ireland firm Paschal O’Hare Personal Injury Solicitors has welcomed Andrew Irwin to its team. Mr Irwin, who qualified as a solicitor in 2017 following his graduation from Ulster University, was previously a senior associate in a major Irish law firm.

The UK's Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) is expected to rule by the end of the year on a case brought by Northern Ireland journalists alleging unlawful police surveillance. Trevor Birney and Barry McCaffrey were arrested in 2018 following the release of No Stone Unturned, their documentary about

The Irish Centre for European Law (ICEL) at Trinity College Dublin has appointed Robert McTernaghan BL as assistant director for Northern Ireland. Mr McTernaghan practises in both jurisdictions on the island of Ireland and is currently vice-chair of the Bar of Northern Ireland's Immigration Bar Asso

Tim Carson places the statutory review of the Defamation Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 in context. Midway through the Long Vacation, the Northern Ireland Department of Finance quietly published its statutorily mandated Report on the Review of the Defamation Act (Northern Ireland) 2022.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has been slapped with a £750,000 fine over its unprecedented data breach last year. The force inadvertently published the names, roles and other personal details of all serving police officers and civilian staff on its website just over a year ago.

Northern Ireland's Department of Justice has been urged to publish the findings of a review of criminal legal aid which was completed in the summer. Judge Tom Burgess was appointed a year ago to carry out a "fundamental review" of the criminal legal aid system, which was warmly welcomed by practitio

Global law firm Clyde & Co welcomed representatives from Northern Ireland's insurance industry to Tesla's flagship centre in Belfast for a unique event discussing the barriers to improved take-up of electric and hybrid vehicles.

The UK's Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) has today begun examining the PSNI surveillance complaint brought by investigative journalists Trevor Birney and Barry McCaffrey. The two journalists were arrested in 2018 following the release of No Stone Unturned, their documentary about the 1994 Loughi

The Bar of Northern Ireland is looking for its new charity partner for 2025/26. Every year, the Bar's charity committee undertakes a number of fundraising initiatives in support of its charity partner.

A new action plan to address child criminal exploitation (CCE) in Northern Ireland has been launched. A four-page document sets out the cross-departmental, multi-agency plan to improve the government's response to the criminal exploitation of young people and to embed this within the child protectio

Dr Kevin Brown and Dr David Capper have been appointed as professors in Queen's University Belfast School of Law. Professor Brown is an expert in criminal justice and researches the relationship between the criminal law and society, particularly the impact of law on the most vulnerable.

The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) has renewed calls for an independent investigation into the 2001 murder of Sunday World journalist Martin O'Hagan. Mr O'Hagan, who was secretary of the NUJ's Belfast and district branch, was killed in front of his wife Marie by members of the Loyalist Voluntee

A former nursing student with a cancer diagnosis has settled a disability discrimination case against Queen’s University Belfast for £25,000. Natasha Bradshaw, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2019, was supported in bringing the case by the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland.