Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland barrister Ciaran Murphy KC has been named as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to criminal justice. Mr Murphy is one of only two people in Northern Ireland awarded a CBE in the UK's latest annual New Year honours list.

Retired Northern Ireland solicitor Alan Kirk has passed away. Mr Kirk was admitted to the roll of solicitors in 1978 and was a consultant in private practice with Co Antrim firm Joseph Lockhart & Son. He retired in January 2016.

Equality law expert Professor Evelyn Collins has been appointed as chair of the Parades Commission for Northern Ireland. She previously served as chief executive of the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland from March 2000 to January 2023, overseeing a broad remit under Northern Ireland's equalit

Belfast solicitor Sam Creighton, principal at Creighton & Company Solicitors, has passed away following an illness. Mr Creighton died peacefully at Marie Curie Hospice on 23 December 2023 and his funeral took place at Bloomfield Presbyterian Church and Roselawn Cemetery on Tuesday.

Northern Ireland's largest newspaper publishers have launched a joint legal challenge to new legislation granting pre-charge anonymity to suspects of sexual offences. Under the Justice (Sexual Offences and Trafficking Victims) Act (Northern Ireland) 2022, which came into force last September, suspec

Northern Ireland firm Cleaver Fulton Rankin has expanded its corporate and commercial team with the appointment of solicitors Adele Patterson and Emma Coey. Ms Coey newly joins the firm, while Ms Patterson has been appointed to the role following her completion of the firm's trainee solicitor progra

Sinn Féin's Michelle O'Neill has reached a settlement in a libel action against DUP MP Sammy Wilson. Pádraig Ó Muirigh, director of Ó Muirigh Solicitors, said: "The objective all along in this legal action was to correct the public record in relation to the date of knowle

The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (NIHRC) has issued a legal challenge over the allocation of 'intimidation points' to social housing applicants. The case against the Northern Ireland Housing Executive and the Department for Communities argues that the housing selection scheme, as current

Human rights expert Professor Colin Harvey has been appointed to the scientific committee of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA). Professor Harvey is a director of the Human Rights Centre at Queen's University Belfast and a commissioner of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commi

Ireland will take the UK to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) over a controversial law ending criminal and civil proceedings related to killings during the Troubles, the government has confirmed. Victims and survivors of the Troubles had urged the Irish government to take the rare step alon

DWF has announced a new partnership with BT to offer aspiring legal professionals the opportunity to qualify in English law while remaining in Northern Ireland. The joint traineeship by DWF and BT Group will enable six graduates to qualify as English solicitors through the Solicitors Qualifying Exam

Queen's University Belfast School of Law has congratulated Sarah Hair on her graduation with six prestigious prizes. Ms Hair, the top student in her LLB class, has been awarded the McKane Medal, the Oxford University Press Law Prize, the Rory Conaghan Cup and Prize (jointly), the Lord Lowry Prize, t

A restaurant in Belfast has been ordered to pay £20,000 to an Irish Traveller family who were unlawfully discriminated against by being asked to leave. The Joyce family brought the Cuisine Buffet restaurant on York Street to court with support from the Equality Commission.

Northern Ireland’s High Court has refused to appoint a McKenzie friend in family law proceedings on the basis that she attempted to inappropriately influence the court and lacked a basic understanding of practice and procedure. Delivering judgment for the High Court, Mr Justice David McFarland

Northern Ireland firm Cleaver Fulton Rankin has appointed Sinead Stewart as a director in its banking and finance team. With over 17 years’ experience, Ms Stewart advises a wide range of financial institutions and borrowers in relation to general corporate lending, real estate finance, develop