Northern Ireland

The Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland has taken measures to reduce the number of people attending court from today. The latest update, issued yesterday evening, is reproduced in full below. The Lord Chief Justice met yesterday with representatives of the legal profession to discuss measures to

The UK government has come under sharp criticism after unilaterally announcing a new approach to legacy investigations which would "protect veterans from vexatious claims". Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis today set out the government's proposals following a six-month consultation in 2018, w

People with multiple convictions will no longer have to disclose all old and minor convictions to employers under changes to the criminal record checking scheme. The AccessNI scheme has been changed to ensure only relevant and appropriate criminal record information is disclosed on certificates, bri

A mother of a child with underlying health problems has launched an emergency judicial review of ministers' decision not to close schools across Northern Ireland. Solicitor Darragh Mackin of Phoenix Law is representing the woman, who is lodging proceedings against the Minister of Education, the Mini

A court in Derry held a hearing outside due to concerns that one of the accused could have coronavirus. Three men and a woman had been due to appear in Derry Magistrates' Court on hijacking charges, but all four had their charges read in the vehicles used to bring them to court.

Retired lawyer and judge John P. Shearer has passed away, the Law Society of Northern Ireland has said. Mr Shearer, originally from Glasgow, was admitted to the roll of solicitors in Northern Ireland in 1954.

The trial of a former British soldier accused of the attempted murder of a 27-year-old man in 1974 could proceed via Skype because of the coronavirus outbreak. Lawyers for Dennis Hutchings, 79, told Belfast Crown Court on Friday that their client has a chest infection and was advised by doctors to s

Law firms Tughans, Millar McCall Wylie and A&L Goodbody (ALG) were among the top winners at Insider's Northern Ireland Dealmakers Awards. Tughans partner John McGuckian was named Dealmaker of the Year and his firm advised on three of the recognised deals.

The PSNI has appointed three new sex work liaison officers under a scheme launched in 2015, bringing the total to five. A specialised operational lead officer has also been appointed as the sixth member of the team.

Belfast solicitor Una Boyd has been named chair of the Law Society of Northern Ireland's Immigration Practitioners' Group (IPG).

Six people have been appointed to the Northern Ireland Policing Board with effect from April. The new independent members are Michael Atkinson, Dr Janet Gray, Edgar Jardine, Carmel McKinney, Frank McManus and Deirdre Toner.

Retired Coleraine solicitor John Lawson Baxter has passed away, the Law Society of Northern Ireland has announced. Mr Baxter, who was admitted to the roll of solicitors in November 1964, passed away on Saturday.

The Office of the Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland has invited applications for an internship scheme running in the first two-and-a-half weeks of September. The internship scheme is open to students who will begin their final year of a law degree at any qualifying university in the UK and Irel

Proposals to streamline the committal process for serious criminal cases will be brought before MLAs before the summer recess, Justice Minister Naomi Long has said. The Committal Reform Bill will allow for serious cases to be transferred directly to the Crown Court without the need for a traditional

The observation post at Omagh Courthouse has been removed but there are no plans to do away with its controversial wire meshing and grills, Justice Minister Naomi Long has said. There have been various calls in recent years for the courthouse to be "normalised" by removing Troubles-era security meas