Northern Ireland

A public consultation is seeking views on plans to simplify and streamline Northern Ireland's sentencing framework for children. The Department of Justice has proposed to replace the current seven court-ordered community sentences with a new, single order.

Immigration solicitors in Northern Ireland have ended two months of industrial action following an agreement with the Department of Justice. Members of the Immigration Practitioners' Group (IPG) withdraw services at the beginning of February in a dispute over remuneration.

The UK Supreme Court has agreed to hear and expedite an appeal from the UK government concerning the compatibility of Northern Ireland legacy legislation with human rights and post-Brexit rules. Although the Labour government which came into office last July has promised to "repeal and replace" the

Northern Ireland’s Court of Appeal last week determined that the refusal of the Secretary of State to hold a public inquiry into the 1997 murder of Sean Brown was unlawful. Delivering judgment for the Court of Appeal, Lady Chief Justice Siobhan Keegan remarked that “the United Kingdom ha

Personal injury lawyers have called for the introduction of a statutory "duty of candour" covering healthcare staff in Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland's Department of Health recently held a consultation on both its draft ‘Being Open’ framework, which aims to establish a culture of hon

Belfast firm Cleaver Fulton Rankin has recruited Nick Bennett as an associate in the firm's employment and immigration department. Mr Bennett has been practising as an immigration solicitor since 2019 and brings over 12 years' experience in immigration services to the firm, having spent time working

Northern Ireland firm JMK Solicitors has celebrated five years since embracing a four-day working week for employees with no reduction in pay. The personal injury specialist firm, with offices in Belfast city centre, west Belfast, Newry and Derry, permanently reduced its working hours by 20 per cent

Fee-share law firm Excello Law has expanded into Northern Ireland with the establishment of a new office led by real estate lawyer Gregory Martin. Founded in London in 2009, the firm's latest move follows successful launches in Dubai and the United States earlier this year.

A man who brought a religious discrimination claim against the Hilton Belfast hotel with support from the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland has agreed to a £10,000 settlement without admission of liability. Jonathan Kerr, who describes himself as a "practising Judaeo-Christian", to

Herbert Smith Freehills and US firm Kramer Levin are set to merge to create a new global law firm called Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer. The combination of the two firms has been approved by their respective partnerships and is expected to take place on 1 June 2025.

Experts have raised concerns over proposals to expand the use of anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs) in Northern Ireland. A joint consultation conducted by the Department of Justice and the Department for Communities between November 2023 and April 2024 sought views on issues including including AS

The Bar of Northern Ireland has committed £100,000 in scholarships and bursaries to support law students at Queen's University Belfast. Since 2021, the Bar has been a key member of the Queen’s Bright Future Collective, a group of companies which helps enable access to higher education fo

The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has determined that changes to the UK’s ‘release on licence’ regime did not amount to the retroactive imposition of a heavier penalty such as to preclude the surrender of a man alleged to have committed terrorist offences in Norther

Solicitor and former Belfast City Council chief executive Peter McNaney has been appointed as a non-executive member to the board of Belfast Harbour Commissioners. Mr McNaney practised as a corporate lawyer for 20 years prior to serving as chief executive of Belfast City Council for 13 years.

JMK Solicitors has retained its position as Northern Ireland's busiest personal injury practice for an 11th consecutive year.