Northern Ireland

Telecoms giant BT has announced plans to invest over £2.7 million in a new first-of-its-kind legal hub in Belfast, creating up to 30 commercial lawyer roles over the next four years. Seven lawyers have joined the new BT hub, which will offer efficient, high-quality legal support to BT's corpor

Northern Ireland should overhaul its hate crime laws to adopt a statutory aggravation model similar to that in Scotland, a major judge-led review has concluded. Judge Desmond Marrinan was appointed last summer to carry out the independent review, which was first promised in 2017 following calls from

Fergal McGoldrick, associate at Carson McDowell, looks at the latest high-profile defamation case in London and considers how it compares to defamation in Northern Ireland. Amidst the gloom of rapidly darkening November evenings, and the doom of a global pandemic, the London libel court has roared b

Corporate and commercial law firm Mills Selig has announced the appointment of Chris Guy as managing partner. Mr Guy will take on the firm's leadership from 1 December 2020, taking over from John Kearns, who will stay on as senior partner.

The volume and value of deals in Northern Ireland have dropped to their lowest recorded level since 2013, according to a new report. After years of strong growth, there have been just 91 transactions worth £234 million involving a Northern Ireland company so far this year, the latest Experian

Stuart Nevin, associate at A&L Goodbody in Belfast, considers the case law on vacant possession. The recent case of Capitol Park Leeds Plc v Global Radio Services [2020] EWHC 2750 highlights the requirement for tenants to follow the strict conditions set out in a break clause. In deciding whethe

Investigative journalists Trevor Birney and Barry McCaffrey, who won a judicial review in connection with police raids on their homes and office, have reached a settlement with the PSNI. The journalists were arrested and questioned by police in August 2018, shortly after the release of their documen

The High Court of Justice in Northern Ireland has denied leave for judicial review to an applicant, who was not named, who wished to challenge a decision of the Public Prosecution Service (PPS). The PPS had determined that a man, DB, would receive a caution for disclosing a sexual image of the appli

Global legal business DWF has announced the recruitment of two newly-qualified solicitors and six trainees in its Belfast office. The firm said its workload has remained high despite the Covid-19 pandemic and home working, driven largely by the needs of its clients in the real estate, construction a

Courts and tribunals in Northern Ireland will continue to operate during the second two-week "circuit breaker" lockdown, Justice Minister Naomi Long has said. In a statement issued before the start of increased restrictions tomorrow, Mrs Long reiterated that courts and tribunals staff, the judiciary

The last man sentenced to death in Northern Ireland has won a High Court battle over his right to access coroners' inquest files held in the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI). Applicant William Holden was given the death penalty following his conviction in 1973 of the murder of Privat

A ban on children's outdoor sport in Northern Ireland during the Covid-19 pandemic is a "clear violation" of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, a Magherafelt lawyer has said. Stephen Atherton, director at John J McNally & Co Solicitors, has announced his intention to bring a judicial

The PSNI has made "considerable progress" in improving how business crime is dealt with in Northern Ireland, the criminal justice watchdog has found. Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland (CJINI) has published a follow-up review which found that fix of six recommendations made in 2017 had bee

The UK government has launched a public consultation on the continued use of non-jury trials in Northern Ireland until 2023. Under the Justice and Security (Northern Ireland) Act 2007, the Director of Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland can decide when a trial should take place without a jury.

Judge Stephen Fowler QC has been appointed as Recorder of Belfast, the most senior County Court judge in Northern Ireland. He succeeds Judge David McFarland QC, who has held the post since 2012 and was elevated to the High Court earlier this month.