Northern Ireland

Barrister-led GDPR compliance consultancy Briefed.pro has announced plans to invest over £760,000 in its Belfast office following support from Invest NI. Specialising in protecting clients from fines and possible prosecutions, Briefed's data protection compliance products and consultancy servi

Legislation to provide for parental bereavement leave and pay has been introduced to the Northern Ireland Assembly. Under the bill, employees who suffer the loss of a child under the age of 18, or a stillbirth after 24 weeks of pregnancy, will have a statutory entitlement to two weeks' leave and, in

The High Court has awarded £125,000 to Arlene Foster arising out of a defamation action taken against celebrity doctor Christian Jessen. Giving judgment in the case, Mr Justice Gerry McAlinden stated that it was an “outrageously bad libel” which caused significant upset to the Firs

The Department of Health (DoH) paid £32.8 million on clinical and social care negligence cases in 2019/20, a 12 per cent increase on the previous year. A new statistical bulletin shows that £23.2 million was paid in damages in the year ending 31 March 2020, £6.6 million was paid in

Legislation to introduce the most significant reforms to Northern Ireland's gambling laws in over 35 years will be introduced within weeks. Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey today announced a "two-phased approach", with immediate legislation to be followed in the longer-term with the introduction

The Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland has launched an investigation into an allegation of race discrimination in the police handling of a Black Lives Matter protest in Derry last summer. A member of the public who took part in the protest on Saturday 6 June 2020 has alleged inconsistencies in th

Maghera firm Mallon & Co Solicitors has been named as a new corporate partner of Derry GAA.

Concerns have been raised that Westminster legislation to recognise overseas qualifications could affect lawyers in Northern Ireland and Scotland without their input. The Professional Qualifications Bill, currently at committee stage, would treat individuals seeking to practise particular profession

The Department of Justice is to seek permission from MLAs to publish a modern slavery and human trafficking strategy every three years instead of every one year. Writing in the foreword to the fourth annual strategy, Justice Minister Naomi Long said the government's "understanding of these crimes an

Widely-supported proposals to abolish the so-called "rough sex" defence, strengthen the law around image-based sexual abuse and widen the scope of the law on abuse of trust could fall to the wayside for over a year due to a political deadlock. Justice Minister Naomi Long was quizzed by MLAs yesterda

A public consultation will be launched within weeks on how the criminal justice system should treat cases of non-fatal strangulation. Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland (CJINI) recommended in June 2019 that the Department of Justice should review how potential inadequacies in current legis

All windows at Newtownards Courthouse will be upgraded and replaced over the summer, Justice Minister Naomi Long has confirmed. Mrs Long told MLAs the plans are "well advanced" and will "address long-standing maintenance issues and improve energy efficiency".

Pro-life campaigners have formally lodged proceedings in Belfast against regulations giving the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland powers to direct the commissioning of abortion services. Belfast law firm Hewitt & Gilpin has been instructed by the Centre for Bioethical Reform Northern Irela

The PSNI has been urged to end its joint programmes with the Israeli police and security services following renewed violence in occupied Palestine. Amnesty International said the force "must ensure it is not implicated in Israel's human rights violations" following an investigation by The Detail whi

A pair of solicitors who made the courageous decision to open a new practice at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic have celebrated a successful first year of business.