Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland's legal professions have given a cautious welcome to a new fundamental review of criminal legal aid led by retired judge Tom Burgess. The Department of Justice yesterday confirmed that the review, led by Judge Burgess as its independent advisor, has commenced and will be completed w

Dungannon-based P.A. Duffy & Co Solicitors has welcomed Ellen Bates as a trainee solicitor. Ms Bates joined the firm in May 2021, initially as a part-time legal executive, while completing her undergraduate degree at Ulster University. She graduated from her LLB in July with a first class honour

The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (NIHRC) has launched a new legal challenge against a new UK law which will "effectively make it impossible for people who arrive in the UK irregularly to present as refugees". The controversial Illegal Migration Act 2023, which received royal assent in Ju

Northern Ireland's prison service has made "impressive" progress in addressing long-standing concerns about vulnerable prisoners being held in solitary confinement for long periods, the criminal justice inspector has found. A damning report published last year found that prisoners in care and superv

A new facility that ensures vulnerable witnesses giving evidence will not meet defendants within a court building was officially opened in Belfast last week. The Belfast remote evidence centre enables vulnerable or intimidated victims and witnesses to provide their evidence to the court using live l

Belfast-based Madden & Finucane Solicitors has promoted Lynn Day to director and head of the firm's expanding civil litigation department. Ms Day joined Madden & Finucane in 2011 and specialises in all aspects of civil litigation, with particular expertise in personal injury claims.

More than two-thirds of people in Northern Ireland want the UK to remain party to the European Convention on Human Rights, according to a new poll commissioned by Amnesty International UK. The Amnesty poll, carried out by Savanta, shows that 68 per cent of people who were polled in Northern Ireland

UK-based employment law firm Lewis Silkin has more than doubled its Belfast footprint since expanding into Northern Ireland in 2021, the firm has announced. Lewis Silkin, which also has a presence south of the border, joined forces with employment law specialists Jones Cassidy Brett in 2021 before a

Northern Ireland’s High Court granted a return order for a mother attempting to return her child to Northern Ireland despite the fact that the child was residing in a Middle Eastern country that was not a signatory to any of the Hague Convention treaties, such as the jurisdiction treaty of 199

New laws to safeguard the privacy and anonymity of victims of sexual offences and suspects in sexual offence cases in Northern Ireland have come into effect from today. Under the Justice (Sexual Offences and Trafficking Victims) Act (Northern Ireland) 2022, Northern Ireland is now the only part of t

The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) and the Committee for the Administration of Justice (CAJ) are to co-host a landmark conference on the issues of surveillance and oversight in policing north and south of the border. The free event on Tuesday 24 October will hear from speakers including in

Northern Ireland firm Millar McCall Wylie has welcomed Gerard Scullion, Josh Graham, Louisa Law and Emma Ewing as trainee solicitors. The firm has brought four trainees on board for the second year running, bringing the total number of trainees recruited since 2020 to 12.

A ban on anti-abortion protests outside abortion clinics in Northern Ireland will come into effect this Friday, the Department of Health has confirmed. All five health and social care trusts will introduce safe access zones on Friday 29 September 2023, as provided for by the Abortion Services (Safe

The Law Society of Northern Ireland has postponed a conference focussing on the UK government's new legacy law following calls and planned protests by victims' groups. In a statement this morning, the Law Society said its annual conference, which was to focus on the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy

Arthur Cox has opened applications for its growing trainee programme in Northern Ireland. Trainees with the firm will have the opportunity to gain experience across varied practice areas including corporate and commercial, finance, dispute resolution, employment, energy and renewables, competition,