Northern Ireland

The UK and Irish governments have jointly appointed an independent expert to consider whether there should be formal engagement with paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland to help disband them. Fleur Ravensbergen, an independent conflict resolution and negotiation practitioner and a lecturer in con

Rights organisations could fall back on the UK-EU international dispute settlement procedure to defend human rights in Northern Ireland if the UK government wins in a major UK Supreme Court case, according to a new report. The report, published by Social Change Initiative (SCI) in partnership with t

The Probation Board for Northern Ireland has launched a public consultation on its next corporate plan. The 12-week consultation will help to develop the board's corporate plan for 2026–29, which will set out the strategic direction of the organisation over the next three years.

Solicitor Sarah Havlin has been appointed as a presiding member of Northern Ireland's civil legal services appeals panels, with seven other lawyers appointed as members. The independent panel considers appeals regarding the granting of legal aid in civil cases.

Northern Ireland firm Wilson Nesbitt has grown its dispute resolution team to eight members following a series of appointments. New team members include senior solicitor Scott Smid and legal executive Órla Eves.

The UK and Irish governments on Friday published a joint framework for dealing with the legacy of the Troubles, hailed by Simon Harris as "a return to a partnership approach on Northern Ireland". The seven-page document was launched at Hillsborough Castle by the UK's Northern Ireland secretary,

Two long-standing Belfast law firms, Elliott Duffy Garrett and Johns Elliot, are to join forces as Elliotts Legal.

Claims that the UK could leave the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) without breaching the 1998 Good Friday Agreement (GFA) are "not credible", a new report has concluded. A new report by Professor Colin Murray of Newcastle University and Professor Aoife O'Donoghue of Queen's University Bel

Northern Ireland's solicitor and barrister professions are uniting in support of an appeal to help deliver life-saving clean water to families in Gaza.

Solicitor Claire Edgar has presented to a European conference on the impact of Northern Ireland's 2021 domestic abuse legislation. Ms Edgar, a partner and specialist in domestic violence and family law at Belfast firm Francis Hanna & Co Solicitors, was a guest speaker at the European Conference

Belfast firm Allsopp Campbell Rainey Solicitors has welcomed Aimee Nelson as a trainee solicitor. The appointment reflects the firm's commitment to investing in emerging legal talent and supporting the development of the next generation of solicitors, it said.

Barrister Nicole Lappin has been appointed as a Northern Ireland non-executive board member to the Human Tissue Authority (HTA). The HTA is an executive non-departmental public body of the Department of Health and Social Care in England.

Professor Kevin Brown of Queen's University Belfast weighs up competing proposals for reform of sentencing in Northern Ireland. Before the summer recess, MLAs debated a motion on improving sentencing practice that called for a public consultation on creating a Sentencing Council.

Northern Ireland’s High Court has determined in a defamation case that the single correct meaning of impugned words used in a book and on the X platform was that solicitor Paul Tweed acted unprofessionally. Delivering judgment for the High Court of Northern Ireland, Mr Justice Adrian Colton ex

Northern Ireland's Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) is seeking to intervene in a judicial review concerning the A5 dual carriageway project. The Department for Infrastructure is appealing against a High Court ruling from June which quashed a decision to proceed with t