Northern Ireland

Gerry McAlinden QC, chair of the Bar Council of Northern Ireland More than 800 cases have been held up in Northern Ireland's courts due to an ongoing row between lawyers and the Department of Justice over legal aid cuts.

A 21-year-old woman from Co Down will be tried for offences under the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 after allegedly procuring an abortion. The woman appeared at Belfast Magistrates' Court yesterday in relation to one charge of using the drugs Mifepristone and Misoprostol with intent to procur

Alastair Ross, chair of the Northern Ireland Assembly's justice committee Northern Ireland prisoners made 8,848 complaints about prison conditions to the Northern Ireland Prison Service (NIPS) over the past 11 months, the Belfast Telegraph reports.

This year's first quarterly meeting of the Northern Ireland Business and Human Rights Forum will take place on Friday 29 January. It will include three presentations from Chris Stewart, head of policy at DETI; Stephen Hillis of Ingeus; and Grace Peacock from the Federation of Small Business.

The High Court of Justice in the Northern Ireland Chancery Division has found that the Charity Tribunal incorrectly ruled that individual charity trustees did not have standing to seek review of decisions by the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland. The background to the case concerned a decision

A senior official with the Department of Justice has set out how budget changes will affect the provision of policing and legal aid in Northern Ireland. Glyn Capper, the Department's deputy director of finance, said the PSNI budget will be reduced by 2 per cent in the next financial year, representi

A trial date has been set in a case where the National Crime Agency (NCA) is bidding to deprive a woman of pension benefits inherited from her first husband after she was convicted of his murder. Hazel Stewart was sentenced to a minimum of 18 years in prison at Coleraine Crown Court in 2011 after he

A judicial review launched against the UK government by men who were allegedly tortured by the British Army during the Troubles has been delayed again. They are the surviving members of a fourteen-person group known as "the Hooded Men" and are taking action against the Secretary of State for Norther

Patrick Brown, managing partner at Tughans Belfast commercial law firm Tughans has been recognised by Experian as the "most active law firm" in Northern Ireland, the firm has said.

Former UK prime minister Tony Blair The UK's former prime minister Tony Blair has told MPs that he did not block talks aimed at securing Libyan compensation for victims of IRA members who used Libyan weapons.

A code of practice is being prepared ahead of the implementation of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 in Northern Ireland, the Belfast Telegraph reports. The legislation is set to be used by PSNI officers to tackle human trafficking and labour exploitation, particularly in Northern Ireland's maritime indu

Madden & Finucane Solicitors has been awarded Lexcel accreditation for its high standards in providing legal services. The Lexcel quality mark, originally developed by the Law Society of England and Wales, is granted by the Law Society of Northern Ireland to solicitors and solicitor firms which

A soldier who abused a boy from a residential home in Northern Ireland was not prosecuted despite admitting to the abuse, a public inquiry has heard. Christine Smith QC, counsel for the Historical Institutional Abuse (HIA) inquiry, told a public hearing that the alleged abuser was interviewed by pol

Pastor James McConnell has been found not guilty of offences under the Communications Act 2003 in relation to a controversial sermon delivered in Belfast. The 78-year-old preacher faced two charges in relation to a speech which was broadcast live over the Internet, which prosecutors said characteris

Patricia Coyle, partner and solicitor advocate at Harte Coyle Collins Lawyers and victims' groups have called for the provision of further resources to the Coroners Service for Northern Ireland to allow families to access the truth in a number of historical cases.