Northern Ireland

New all-Ireland arbitration rules written in plain English have been welcomed as a boost for Ireland's bid to become a global centre for commercial dispute resolution. The All-Ireland Arbitration Rules 2020 are the first to be published in 30 years and are specifically designed to take account of th

Legal and professional services group Gateley has announced the appointment of real estate lawyer Alison Reid as its office managing partner in Belfast. Ms Reid joined the business in 2021 as a partner in the real estate team, specialising in the supported and assisted living sector as well as resid

Global law firm Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) has announced the promotion of Lyn Harris to partner in the firm's alternative legal services (ALT) centre in Belfast. Ms Harris is the third partner to be promoted from the ALT team in Belfast following Lisa McLaughlin and Libby Jackson.

Arthur Cox's Belfast office has announced a new charity partnership with community-based care and support service L'Arche, which will see employees engage in a range of volunteering and fundraising initiatives. L'Arche creates opportunities for people who have learning disabilities to take up their

Global legal business DWF has announced the appointment of Julie Galbraith as its new executive partner in Belfast. Ms Galbraith joined C & H Jefferson in 1998 as a trainee solicitor, and was a partner when the business merged with DWF in 2016. She is DWF's Northern Ireland head of real estate,

A judge has issued a stern warning about the "real and growing risk of expensive, time-wasting and wholly unmeritorious cases" coming before Northern Ireland's Court of Appeal as he dismissed a "hopeless and utterly groundless appeal" brought by a personal litigant. Lord Justice Treacy said it was "

Representatives from Northern Ireland's six largest political parties outlined their justice priorities at a pre-election event hosted by the Law Society of Northern Ireland yesterday. The panel discussion, chaired by broadcaster Mark Carutthers, included former justice minister David Ford from the

Belfast-based Elliott Duffy Garrett has appointed Aine O'Rourke, Francis Russell and Natalie Hayes as solicitors in the firm. Ms Hayes has joined the firm's private client team, Ms O'Rourke has joined the corporate and banking team, and Mr Russell has joined the dispute resolution and employment tea

Lawyers at Belfast and Bangor firm Wilson Nesbitt have raised over £1,600 for Leukaemia & Lymphoma NI after abseiling from the Europa Hotel. The four-person team scaled the 51-metre building to raise funds for the Law Society of Northern Ireland's chosen charity for 2022.

Belfast will welcome judges and legal professionals from across the world next month at the Commonwealth Mediation Conference. Taking place on 19-20 May 2022, the conference will provide a platform to discuss the growing importance and use of mediation to resolve disputes.

International law firm Pinsent Masons has increased its starting salaries for newly-qualified solicitors in Belfast to £35,000. The move, which takes effect in September, represents a 12.9 per cent increase on the previous starting salary of £31,000.

The Bar of Northern Ireland has called for an end to the "unsustainable underfunding" of legal aid as it set out its policy priorities ahead of next week's election. In Raising the Bar: Priorities for the Post-Election Period, the Bar urges policy and decision makers to "take a strategic view of the

A&L Goodbody (ALG) has been awarded two environmental accreditations in Northern Ireland in recognition of its commitment to sustainability. The firm, which employs over 120 people at its Belfast office, has been awarded the ISO 14001: 2015 Environmental Standard. The internationally recognised

Two legal challenges to the Northern Ireland Protocol have made legal history as the first cases ever granted permission by the Court of Appeal to proceed to the UK Supreme Court, lawyers have said. The court last month rejected both challenges, the first brought by unionist politicians including Ji

The UK government is drafting legislation to give its ministers unilateral powers to disapply parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol in breach of its obligations under international law, according to reports. Prime minister Boris Johnson and foreign secretary Liz Truss have "in principle signed off"