Northern Ireland

The Court of Appeal in Belfast will tomorrow consider whether the Department for Communities breached human rights law by refusing bereavement payments to a man after his severely disabled wife died in July 2017. Michael O'Donnell, who is being represented by Law Centre NI, was refused the benefit o

Belfast-based KRW LAW LLP has been shortlisted in a brand new category at the Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year (LALY) awards. The firm, headed by senior partner Kevin Winters, will compete with two other firms for the title of Regional Legal Aid Firm/Not-for-Profit.

Members of the public can now use e-bikes on public roads without the need for registration or licensing following new legislation approved at Stormont. The Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycles (Construction and Use) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2020 was first announced in February and passed by MLA

Personal injury and road traffic accident specialist firm JMK Solicitors has welcomed six new solicitors across Belfast and Newry. Caroline Cahill, Amy Goss, Karen McKee, Ailis McKeown, Karen Reavey and Ryan McKeegan have joined the firm in the last six months.

The high-profile legal battle between campaigner Emma DeSouza and the Home Office has come to an end following changes to the Immigration Rules. Mrs DeSouza took legal action in 2015 after her husband Jake was denied a residence card sought as the spouse of an EEA national rather than the spouse of

Nearly a third of solicitor applications and nearly half of barrister applications to the legal aid agency's COVID-19 interim payment scheme have been rejected. The Legal Services Agency (LSA), which launched the scheme two weeks ago, has revealed it had received 818 requests by Friday 15 May.

Proposals for the implementation of the Northern Ireland part of the Brexit deal have been published by the UK government. A new 25-page document sets out how the UK proposes to meet its obligations under the Northern Ireland Protocol, though Tánaiste Simon Coveney said parts of the document

A criminal defence lawyer has sharply criticised safety measures at a specialist COVID-19 custody suite established by the PSNI in Belfast. The new "interview room with a perspex screen" at the Musgrave police station "is inadequate at best, and downright dangerous at worst", solicitor Joe Rice

Lisa Bryson, partner and head of employment at Eversheds Sutherland in Belfast, explores what the re-opening of workplaces in Northern Ireland could look like. Every day brings something new for us all to consider and today’s business leaders will need to consider a number of different issues

Belfast firm Phoenix Law has embarked on an ambitious year of fundraising for addiction charity Davina's Ark. The human rights practice is aiming to raise enough money for the Newry and Mourne-based charity to employ an additional counsellor.

Barrister Conall Patton, who was born in Derry and practices in England and Wales, has been appointed as Queen's Counsel. At 38 years old, Mr Patton of One Essex Court is the youngest person to be named a QC in the 2019 competition.

Armagh solicitor Hilary Singleton has been appointed as a non-executive member of the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS). Ms Singleton, who spent two decades as a solicitor specialising in employment law before stepping back from private practice, already holds two other public appoint

Lawyers have experienced an increase in queries from employees who have been asked to return to work despite no change in public health guidance in Northern Ireland. Law Centre NI said recent statements by Prime Minister Boris Johnson had led to confusion in Northern Ireland, where advice for worker

The number of domestic abuse crimes recorded by police in Northern Ireland have reached a 15-year high. There were 18,640 domestic abuse crimes recorded by the PSNI between 1 April 2019 and 31 March 2020, an increase of 15 per cent on the previous year and the highest figure recorded since the start

Belfast solicitor Eibhlínn McAleer (née Lynch) has suddenly passed away, the Law Society of Northern Ireland has announced. Ms McAleer qualified as a solicitor in 2007 and had worked in private practice as well as as a personal assistant to Judge Corinne Philpott QC.