Northern Ireland

Over a quarter of applications to the interim payment scheme set up by the legal aid agency in response to the coronavirus pandemic have been rejected. As of Monday night, the Legal Services Agency (LSA) had processed 264 requests under the COVID-19 interim payments scheme which came into operation

A number of undefended divorces are set to be heard via remote hearings under a new pilot in Belfast. The announcement from the Recorder of Belfast, Judge David McFarland, comes less than a week after the first divorces were granted in remote hearings south of the border.

The Court of Appeal in Belfast has clarified the circumstances in which an Enhanced Combination Order (ECO) can be imposed on sex offenders. In a recent judgment, Sir Declan Morgan, the Lord Chief Justice, found that two offenders who admitted sexual assault by penetration contrary to article 6(1) o

Over £2 million in legal aid fees has not yet been paid to lawyers because their claims have not been resubmitted after being queried by the Legal Services Agency (LSA). There were 1,767 queries with a total value of £2.24 million awaiting replies and resubmission from 139 different firm

Attorney General John Larkin QC will appear before MLAs tomorrow to provide evidence on legal issues relating to the emergency coronavirus laws. Mr Larkin will appear for over an hour and a half as a witness before the Stormont justice committee, which is meeting tomorrow at 11am in the Senate Chamb

TLT's former managing partner David Pester has started a new role as head of strategic growth at the UK firm, which has an office in Belfast. After 19 years as managing partner, he will work with the leadership team to deliver a strategic growth programme to support existing clients and develop new

A coroner has held a preliminary hearing by conference call in a Northern Ireland first. According to the Belfast Telegraph, the hearing marks the first time that legal proceedings in Northern Ireland have been conducted by phone rather than video-conferencing.

Most Northern Ireland barristers will be unable to sustain their practice if there is no increase in court business or additional government support by September, a new survey suggests. A survey carried out by The Bar of Northern Ireland in April, with responses from nearly two-thirds (60 per cent)

The practice direction underpinning the operation of the Commercial Hub of the High Court is being amended to allow for remote hearings, the commercial judge has announced. In a statement, Mr Justice Horner said the Hub would remain "open for business" in spite of coronavirus restrictions and their

A man convicted of murder and possession of firearms nearly four decades ago has had his convictions quashed by the Court of Appeal. Kevin Barry Artt was convicted in 1983 in connection with the 1978 killing of Albert Miles, deputy governor of the Maze Prison.

A personal injury lawyer has urged businesses to co-operate with the PSNI and insurance claims investigators amid a reported increase in hit-and-run incidents during the lockdown. Olivia Meehan, legal services director of JMK Solicitors, made the comments in response to reports from auto body repair

Eversheds Sutherland partner Matthew Howse and principal associate Damian McElholm consider the economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. As each day passes, the economic challenges presented by COVID-19 are further illuminated. With the jobs retention scheme portal now open for applications,

A new crime novel from Northern Ireland lawyer-turned-author Steve Cavanagh is set to be released later this year. Fifty-Fifty, to be released in September, follows the case of two sisters suspected of murder who accuse each other of the crime.

The establishment of an independent Historical Investigations Unit (HIU) outside of the PSNI risks turning Northern Ireland into a "police state", two senior lawyers have claimed. Writing in the News Letter, Belfast solicitor Neil Faris and Peter Smith CBE QC, who served on the Patten Commission, sa

Strangulation is a substantial, separate and distinct aggravating feature to be taken into account in sentencing for domestic violence, appeal judges in Belfast have emphasised while dismissing an appeal against sentence. The Court of Appeal this morning upheld the 12-month prison sentence handed do