Northern Ireland

Proposals on how to fund mediation in non-family civil cases where legal aid has been granted have gone out for consultation. The consultation follows a High Court ruling in 2019 which found that legal aid for mediation is within the scope of a legal aid certificate in non-family cases.

A new chairperson and four new members have been appointed to the board of the Labour Relations Agency (LRA). Gordon Milligan, deputy chief executive of Translink, has been appointed to serve as chair of the board for a three-year term.

Lord Justice Treacy has been appointed to the Northern Ireland Judicial Appointments Commission (NIJAC) for a five-year term. The senior judge replaces Lord Justice Stephens following his appointment to the UK Supreme Court bench last year.

Two former soldiers have been acquitted of murdering Joe McCann in Belfast in April 1972 following the dramatic collapse of their trial. The trial of Soldier A and Soldier C, two former members of the British Army’s Parachute Regiment now in their 70s, opened in Belfast's Laganside Courts in 2

Armagh solicitor Kieran J. Morgan has passed away, less than two years after his retirement from private practice. Mr Morgan was admitted to the roll of solicitors in 1978 and was a principal in K. J. Morgan Solicitors until his retirement in 2019.

A working group including lawyers, prosecutors and police is set to be established to identify practical measures to reduce the number of non-jury trials taking place in Northern Ireland. Under the Justice and Security (Northern Ireland) Act 2007, the Director of Public Prosecutions can direct that

UK law firm Shoosmiths has launched its first trainee solicitor programme in Northern Ireland. The Belfast office, which became part of Shoosmiths through a merger in 2016, will welcome graduates for the first time in September 2021, alongside nine of the firm's other UK offices.

The Northern Ireland Prison Service (NIPS) has announced the appointment of David Savage as the new governor of Maghaberry Prison. Mr Savage, who has served as deputy governor since September 2019, formally took up the post yesterday.

A Bill of Rights, with the inclusion of specific children’s rights, underpinned by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), could be transformative for children in Northern Ireland, the Children’s Law Centre has said. The list of issues facing children in Northern Ireland wa

Promoting good mental health is the focus of a new initiative being launched this week by the Law Society of Northern Ireland. The Society’s new Wellbeing Toolkit recognises the importance of promoting good mental health and providing support to help colleagues, their families and staff in the

Belfast-based MKB Law has announced the appointment of solicitors Jordan Hanna and Frederick Reilly. Mr Hanna has joined the firm's residential conveyancing department, while Mr Reilly has joined the employment department.

UK law firm TLT has won an expanded role on the National Legal Services Framework, which can be accessed by all police forces and local authorities in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The firm, which was first appointed to the framework in 2009, has retained its property role (residential, comme

Regulations giving the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland powers to direct the commissioning of abortion services have been approved by Westminster. The Abortion (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2021 were approved by MPs in a 431-89 vote on Tuesday and agreed by Lords yesterday afternoon.

Northern Ireland's ministers for justice, health, communities, education and finance have published an action plan for year six of the seven-year domestic and sexual abuse strategy as well as a progress report for 2020/21. Year six of the strategy will include the commencement of the Domestic Abuse

Family lawyer Claire Edgar has welcomed an English court ruling emphasising the importance of domestic abuse training for the judiciary. The Court of Appeal in London last month handed down judgment in four appeals dealing with how allegations of domestic abuse and coercive and controlling behaviour