Northern Ireland

A strike by criminal barristers in Northern Ireland is to continue for another month after the Department of Justice was accused of failing to "engage meaningfully" with the Bar. The Criminal Bar Association (CBA) began a boycott of legally aided Crown Court cases at the start of the year to pile pr

Northern Ireland’s High Court has granted a declaration to the Bar Council of Northern Ireland and the Law Society of Northern Ireland that the Department of Justice and Legal Services Agency are in contravention of their statutory duty to pay properly presented legal aid bills. Delivering jud

Northern Ireland firm Carson McDowell has marked World Data Protection Day with the launch of a new specialist data action response team (DART).

Cleaver Fulton Rankin associate Jude Copeland examines a ruling on procedural issues in the UK's first major copyright battle over generative AI technology. On 14 January 2025, Mrs Justice Joanna Smith DBE delivered a reserved judgment in Getty Images (US) Inc and Ors v Stability AI Ltd [2025] EWHC

Northern Ireland’s High Court has refused an appeal against the provisional grant of a pub licence to Lidl. Delivering judgment for the High Court, Mr Justice Adrian Colton remarked that while the "concept of a licenced premises attached to a supermarket is undoubtedly a new development", the

Every pound spent on legal aid in Northern Ireland creates £8.32 of social value, according to a groundbreaking new report from the Law Society of Northern Ireland. The 56-page report, The Social Value of Legal Aid, was launched on Monday in the Northern Ireland Assembly at an event which hear

Professor Colin Murray examines a recent ruling by Northern Ireland's High Court on the 1997 murder of GAA official Sean Brown through the lens of feminist jurisprudence. The idea of a feminist judgment, or indeed a feminist judge, remains a scary thought for many lawyers. Judges are to be detached

Legal aid spending in Northern Ireland should be seen as an investment that lessens demand for other services including health and social care, the Bar of Northern Ireland has told MPs. The Bar has made a 15-page submission to Westminster's Northern Ireland affairs committee, which is currently cond

Phoenix Law has secured a settlement of more than £50,000 in a case brought against Methodist College Belfast by a former pupil who said he was humiliated during a school rugby trip. Gabriel McConkey, now 19, alleges that he was forced by older pupils to run naked around the resort where they

Northern Ireland firm Cleaver Fulton Rankin has announced a new partnership providing staff with discounted access to childcare and education. The firm has joined a childcare partnership scheme offered by Sleepy Hollow Group, which operates more than 21 sites across Co Antrim and Co Down offering nu

Northern Ireland firm Turley Legal has promoted Ciara Christie to director. Ms Christie has significant property experience, both commercial and residential, and has worked in the real estate sector since qualifying as a solicitor in 2016.

Belfast firm McCartan Turkington Breen Solicitors raised over £8,000 for Hope House Ireland in 2024.

Northern Ireland lawyers have been advised to take note of a court decision to overturn a conviction for driving without a licence. The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) is highlighting to the legal profession a point of law in a referral made in June 2024 to the County Court in Northern

More than a dozen peers have urged the UK government not to repeal legislation preventing former Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams and others from receiving compensation for a miscarriage of justice. The UK Supreme Court unanimously ruled in R v Adams [2020] UKSC 19 that an interim custody

The Law Society of Northern Ireland is seeking input on the establishment of a new women's network. The new network aims to enhance the experience of women in the solicitor profession across Northern Ireland.