Northern Ireland

Nine inquests will be listed in the third year of Northern Ireland's five-year plan to clear the entire backlog of Troubles-era cases, the presiding coroner has announced. Mr Justice Humphreys conducted a review of all legacy inquests where a coroner has not yet been appointed at the end of February

A new strategic framework for youth justice in Northern Ireland has identified a consultation on increasing the age of criminal responsibility – currently just 10 years old – as a priority issue. The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) recommends that the age of criminal resp

The personal injury discount rate in Northern Ireland has been set to -1.5 per cent following the first review under the new legislative framework established this year. The review, which has been welcomed by personal injury lawyers, was carried out by the government actuary under the methodology pr

Northern Ireland's High Court has found that it still had jurisdiction to hear an application for a care order in respect of an eight-month-old child who was sent to live with his maternal grandfather south of the border. The child was sent away by his mother after she became aware that a social car

Developers in Northern Ireland will again be required to hold a public event as part of the pre-application process for major planning applications following the expiration of the temporary suspension. The requirement, which has been suspended since 1 May 2020, will be reinstated for proposed of app

A bill to modernise the legal framework for adoption in Northern Ireland has completed its final legislative stage. The Adoption and Children Bill will bring Northern Ireland in line with changes that were introduced in England and Wales in 2002 and in Scotland in 2007.

Northern Ireland's first-ever adult restorative justice strategy has been launched. The strategy, which runs from 2022-2027 and was developed in conjunction with statutory, voluntary and community sector partners, aims to better meet the needs of, and provide redress for the harm caused to victims o

Wide-ranging legislating updating the law on sexual offending in Northern Ireland has completed its final stage in the Assembly. The Justice (Sexual Offences and Trafficking Victims) Bill creates several new offences, including non-fatal strangulation, up-skirting and down-blousing, cyber-flash

Belfast firm McKees has presented a cheque for £2,000 to mental health charity PIPS after a year of fundraising efforts.

Antrim Crown Court was not swayed that an 18-year-old attacker who had 10 previous convictions had been unable to exercise self-control due to his diagnosis of ADHD and alcohol dependency. On 26 June 2020, the defendant, Jordan McClintock, arrived at a small gathering on the Ballykeel Estate in Ball

A humanitarian appeal launched by Northern Ireland solicitor Joanna Tobolska-Walczuk and her sister has raised £13,000 for Ukrainian refugees in just two weeks.

Geraldine Hanna, the chief executive of Victim Support NI, has been appointed as the inaugural victims of crime commissioner designate for Northern Ireland. The post was established on a non-statutory basis following a public consultation last year amid concerns that legislating for a statutory comm

Proposals to strengthen Northern Ireland's criminal justice response to modern slavery and human trafficking have gone out to consultation. The public consultation will consider the introduction of slavery and trafficking risk orders, the commencement and nature of the duty to notify provisions, and

Proposed cuts to Northern Ireland's justice budget have the "potential to cause generational harm", the Law Society and the Bar have warned. In a joint submission to the Department of Finance and the Department of Justice, the representative bodies said many solicitor firms "would simply not survive

Reforms to the committal process in Northern Ireland criminal cases will be introduced from September 2022, justice minister Naomi Long has said. Mrs Long set out a timetable for the implementation of the Criminal Justice (Committal Reform) Act 2022 after it received royal assent earlier this week.