Northern Ireland

Vulnerable prisoners in Northern Ireland have been held in solitary confinement for long periods in breach of UN rules, a watchdog has said in a damning report. Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland (CJINI) led an independent review into conditions in care and supervision units (CSUs) in Nort

Belfast-based specialist commercial, technology, intellectual property and media law firm Forde Campbell has joined UK-headquartered Lewis Silkin. Forde Campbell directors Mathew Forde, Rory Campbell and Katey Dixon will become partners in Lewis Silkin's Northern Ireland practice, working alongside

The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) is to re-examine the case of a man convicted in 2012 of the first murder of a serving police officer in Northern Ireland since the Good Friday Agreement. Brendan McConville is one of two men currently serving a prison sentence for the 2009 murder of PSNI o

Northern Ireland prisons will resume in-person visits from Monday, the Northern Ireland Prison Service has confirmed. Visits were suspended shortly after Christmas 2021 in response to the increased risk posed by the Omicron variant.

New legislation providing for a specific offence of stalking and introducing new stalking protection orders (SPOs) is closer to becoming law after completing consideration stage in Stormont. MLAs yesterday approved a series of amendments to the Protection from Stalking Bill which were developed

Northern Ireland's charity regulator was constrained from its earliest days as a result of flawed legislation, an independent review has concluded. Professor Oonagh Breen of UCD Sutherland School of Law was appointed last January to chair an independent review of charity regulation in Northern Irela

Belfast-based Millar McCall Wylie has announced the appointment of Emma Rooney as an associate director. Ms Rooney will drive the firm's continued growth in the areas of commercial litigation and dispute resolution, her areas of specialism.

A new book exploring the law and practice of the Northern Ireland protocol has been published online. Edited by Professor Christopher McCrudden of Queen's University Belfast (QUB), the book was produced in "close partnership" with the Office of the Lord Chief Justice.

Five new partners have joined A&L Goodbody LLP (ALG) across its Dublin and Belfast offices. The appointments of Michelle Daly, Deirdre Geraghty, Laura Kennedy, Eugenée Mulhern and Ciaran O'Shiel were announced last year and came into effect at the start of the month.

Northern Ireland’s Court of Appeal has rejected a declaration of parentage for a same-sex couple’s child conceived through private artificial insemination, citing public policy grounds. The judges did not consider that this affected the upbringing of the child. A woman known as A appeale

Legislation to expand Northern Ireland's spent convictions regime will be brought forward following strong support in a consultation, justice minister Naomi Long has announced. New legislation will reduce the length of time that it will take for some convictions to become spent and allow more senten

The Department of Justice is the only Executive department facing cuts in Northern Ireland's draft budget for 2022-25, an independent watchdog has said. An analysis by the Northern Ireland Fiscal Council found that justice would see its funding cut by between one and two per cent while other departm

Arthur Cox has announced the appointment of Richard Armstrong and Chris Fullerton as corporate and commercial partners in Belfast. Mr Armstrong and Mr Fullerton have both worked at the firm for almost a decade, providing legal counsel to a range of clients in Northern Ireland, throughout the UK and

Belfast solicitor Ruaidhrí Austin has been elected as chair of the Northern Ireland Young Solicitors Association (NIYSA) at its AGM yesterday. Mr Austin, of specialist insurance law firm Lacey Solicitors, succeeds William Nugent of Thompson Crooks, who remains on the committee.

Northern Ireland’s Court of Appeal has dismissed an appeal against possession of ammunition where evidence of a previous conviction for possession of an imitation firearm was presented before the jury. The court concluded that the trial judge was entitled to admit previous conviction evidence