Northern Ireland

New legislation is to bring Northern Ireland in line with other UK jurisdictions in giving local councils powers to deal with dilapidated buildings and neglected sites. The Dilapidation Bill aims to confer functions on district councils to provide them with a modern, fit for purpose regime to tackle

Northern Ireland lawyer Jonathan McKeown has spoken to a podcast about his journey through stress and burnout in a successful legal practice that was also facing prolonged disciplinary proceedings. The solicitor and business owner, who founded and chairs Northern Ireland's busiest personal injury la

A&L Goodbody has appointed Kevin Murphy as partner and head of its real estate department in Belfast. Mr Murphy brings over 18 years' experience advising on all aspects of commercial property, with particular expertise in land acquisition and disposals particularly in renewable energy developmen

Northern Ireland’s Court of Appeal has dismissed the appeal of an unsuccessful candidate for a lecturing position at Queen’s University Belfast who repeatedly initiated proceedings alleging racism and discrimination on grounds of ethnicity and religion. Delivering judgment for the Court

Geraldine Hanna is to remain as commissioner designate for victims of crime in Northern Ireland for a further two years. Northern Ireland's justice minister, Naomi Long, has announced a two-year extension to Ms Hanna's term, which began on 13 June 2022.

Solicitor Jill Laughlin has been appointed as a non-executive member of the Northern Ireland Audit Office's advisory board. Ms Laughlin is an experienced corporate and commercial solicitor with a career spanning over two decades. She is a qualified solicitor in both England and Wales and in Northern

Warrenpoint-based Rosemary Connolly Solicitors Limited has celebrated 30 years in business.

Northern Ireland's justice minister has been urged to establish and chair a new media safety group following a "sustained campaign of threats and violence" against journalists. A new 106-page report from Amnesty International features interviews with reporters who have been told they will be shot or

A pilot scheme in Northern Ireland is set to trial the use of AI to deal with more than a quarter of a million claims relating to the underpayment of holiday pay. The Labour Relations Agency (LRA) is currently facing a backlog of more than 250,000 registered cases involving 30,000 anticipated claima

The Law Society of Northern Ireland has held the first in a planned series of "legal townhall" events aimed at bringing together local solicitors and elected representatives to talk about challenges facing the legal profession and the communities it serves.

Northern Ireland lawyer Aine Tyrrell considers the circumstances in which a public inquiry is justified. Since the start of this century, the public in Northern Ireland have become all too familiar with the role that a public inquiry can play in investigating a particular incident or set of events.

The establishment of a Sentencing Council for Northern Ireland would increase public confidence in the criminal justice system, the Ulster Unionist Party's justice spokesperson has told Irish Legal News. Doug Beattie, who sits on Stormont's justice committee, said the establishment of a dedicated bo

Belfast lawyer Sabrina Lawlor has been appointed as the Northern Ireland representative on the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) executive committee. Ms Lawlor, regional manager of personal injury and senior lawyer at Thompsons Solicitors Northern Ireland, brings a wealth of experience t

Lawyers representing pro-Palestinian protesters accused of criminal damage at a Belfast supermarket have sought to have their trials heard by a jury. Carlin Solicitors is representing several individuals who are being prosecuted in the Magistrates' Court in connection with separate incidents at a Sa

Barrister Denise Hunt BEM has been appointed as a non-executive member to the Northern Ireland Social Care Council (NISCC). Ms Hunt has been appointed as a non-executive lay member for a four-year term ending no later than 18 May 2029.