Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland's justice and health ministers have been pressed to set out a clear timetable for the implementation of capacity law reforms passed by MLAs nearly a decade ago. Part 5 of the Mental Capacity Act (Northern Ireland) 2016, which provides for lasting powers of attorney covering care, tr

New resources have been launched to help children and families better understand and prepare for appearing before a youth court in Northern Ireland. The resources include a child-friendly video of what they can expect, and ‘virtual courtroom tours’ which show what the main courts look li

Northern Ireland's public consultation on proposals to criminalise the creation and sharing of sexually explicit "deepfake" images of adults closes soon. The Department of Justice wants to hear from the public as it continues efforts to tackle emerging issues relating to the use of deepfake technolo

Fees will be introduced for some statutory planning functions in Northern Ireland under proposals now out for consultation. A single fee of £115 would be charged for non-material change and discharge of conditions planning applications following the proposed changes.

Lewis Silkin has appointed four new legal directors in its Belfast office, with James Stewart, Caroline McNally and Mark Ward joining the firm alongside an internal promotion for Kevin Gallagher. Mr Stewart joins Lewis Silkin to lead the data, privacy and cyber team in Belfast.

Northern Ireland politicians this week met with leading figures from the legal and media sectors to discuss options for broadcasting court proceedings.

Northern Ireland’s Court of Appeal has determined that the convictions of three men relating to the planting of a bomb at Limavady Football Club in 1989 were unsafe on grounds of abuse of process, due to a failure on part of the police to disclose material which revealed serious police miscond

TLT has welcomed three new partners to its Belfast office, with Orla Hanna and Nuala Maguire joining recently-appointed partner Jonathan O'Hagan. Ms Hanna has joined the firm from DWF, where she led the Irish finance and restructuring team. She brings over a decade of experience handling large corpo

An updated code of practice concerning the care, treatment, and rights of individuals with mental disorders in Northern Ireland has gone out for consultation. The Department of Health yesterday launched a 12-week consultation on the draft revised code of practice to the Mental Health (Northern Irela

The Law Society of Northern Ireland is to hold a special general meeting following a backlash from members over plans to lower the standard of proof applied by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal for Northern Ireland. The tribunal currently applies the criminal standard of proof, meaning that alleg

A record sum of nearly £120 million was paid out in legal aid to solicitors and barristers in Northern Ireland in 2024/25, according to the latest official figures. The statistical bulletin published by the Legal Services Agency (LSA) yesterday covers both criminal and civil cases and provides

Northern Ireland firm Millar McCall Wylie (MMW) has welcomed newly-qualified solicitors Emma Ewing, Josh Graham, James McClean, Eimhear Bell, Tara Murphy and Tiernan Canavan. Ms Ewing has joined the corporate team, Mr Graham has joined the employment team, Mr McClean and Ms Bell have joined the resi

Belfast-based Francis Hanna & Co Solicitors has welcomed Naomi Gordon and Peter McErlean as degree apprentices under a new Ulster University scheme. The four-year course allows apprentices to work four days a week in an approved legal practice and study at the university one day a week.

Victims of miscarriages of justice in Northern Ireland will no longer lose part of their compensation payments to account for money saved on rent and mortgage payments during their imprisonment. The so-called "saved living expenses" deduction has been scrapped, bringing Northern Ireland into line wi

Solicitors have urged the Law Society of Northern Ireland to intervene against plans to lower the standard of proof applied by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal for Northern Ireland. The tribunal currently applies the criminal standard of proof, meaning that allegations must be proved beyond reas