Northern Ireland

The prosecution of a woman who bought abortion pills for her teenage daughter has been formally dropped following the decriminalisation of abortion in Northern Ireland yesterday. This morning, Belfast Crown Court formally discharged the mother from prosecution on two charges of unlawfully procuring

European law firm Fieldfisher has announced plans to expand its presence in Belfast after doubling the size of its Legal Solutions Hub in the city's landmark Titanic Quarter. The firm has signed a lease with the building's landlords, Robinson Family Ltd, for an additional 3,000 foot of office space

A last-ditch attempt to stop the decriminalisation of abortion in Northern Ireland by rushing a bill through Stormont in a single day has failed. The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), which is opposed to abortion in all circumstances, attempted to introduce the Defence of the Unborn Child Bill 2019 y

International legal business DWF has appointed two directors, one senior associate, four associates and nine solicitors in Belfast over a year of significant growth.

The Department of Justice has appointed Jacqui Durkin as chief inspector of criminal justice for Northern Ireland. Ms Durkin will assume leadership of Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland (CJINI) at the end of November for an initial three-year term.

An 158-year-old law criminalising abortion in Northern Ireland will be repealed at midnight tonight under a law passed by MPs this summer. Under section 9 of the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation) Act 2019, sections 58 and 59 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 are repealed in Northern I

A 29-year-old man has been sentenced to 12 years' imprisonment for the murder of a 55-year-old man who he described as being “kind to everyone” and someone who would “give you his last penny if he had it”. Considering the appropriate tariff after mitigation to be one of 15 ye

Lawyers in the post-truth era can "enable journalists under attack to fight back and win", according to the senior barrister who helped deliver a court victory for two Northern Ireland journalists. Barry MacDonald QC, part of the legal team for Trevor Birney and Barry McCaffrey, spoke at the fifth a

The murder of Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane was followed by "nothing less than an assault on the rule of law and the very fabric of a democratic society", a senior barrister has said.

Personal injury and road traffic law specialist firm JMK Solicitors has acquired its Newry office building following a £1.7 million investment which has doubled its workspace in the city.

A&L Goodbody (ALG) has welcomed Niamh Laverty, Richard McLean and Nikki Stewart as associates in Belfast. Ms Laverty, promoted to associate in the property team, advises on property investment and management in the commercial and residential real estate sectors.

Northern Ireland firm Mills Selig has announced the appointment of six solicitors and three trainee solicitors. Lauren Shaw, Robyn Butler and Michael Young have joined the firm's property team, while Rebecca Logan has joined the litigation team, and Emma McCloskey and Jenna Watt have joined the corp

Belfast firm Higgins Hollywood Deazley (HHD) has announced the appointment of Orla Henderson and Joanne Higgins as solicitors. Ms Henderson graduated with a law degree from Manchester Metropolitan University in 2014 and then attended the Institute of Professional Legal Studies (IPLS) at Queen's Univ

Three members of the Northern Ireland Guardian Ad Litem Agency (NIGALA) board have had their appointments extended. Non-executive chair Bernard Mitchell, whose term was due to end at the start of November, will stay on until a new chair early next year.

International law firm Herbert Smith Freehills has appointed two employees in Belfast through a new recruitment programme for autistic people developed in partnership with charity Autism Forward. According to research by the National Autistic Society (NAS), only one in six autistic adults in the UK