Note that general UK Legal Resources are kept on the
UK Legal Sites and Resources page.
The links below just cover those legal resources which relate specifically to Northern Ireland.
See also Northern Irish Solicitors
This page was last updated on May 4th.
Northern Ireland Assembly was restored on 8 May 2007
having previously been suspended in 2002. In the interim period, a
Transitional Assembly continued to meet. The site is just getting going again with its new status.
The Northern Ireland Court Service
was established in 1979, by the Judicature (Northern Ireland) Act 1978, as a separate civil service in
Northern Ireland. The Court Service reports to the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for
Constitutional Affairs. There are selected Judgments and Practice Directions on the site.
Criminal Justice System Northern Ireland
is a new portal to all the significant criminal justice sites in Northern Ireland.
These are the Police Service of Northern Ireland, the Northern Ireland Prison Service,
the Probation Board for Northern Ireland, the Northern Ireland Court Service,
the Department of the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Northern Ireland Office.
Descriptions of each of these sites, and the links, are given.
The Labour Relations Agency was established in 1976 as a Non-Departmental
Public Body with responsibility for promoting the improvement of employment relations in Northern Ireland.
The Agency provides an impartial and confidential employment relations service to those engaged in industry,
commerce and the public services. The Agency's services include the provision of advice on good employment practices
and assistance with the development and implementation of employment policies and procedures.
The Agency is also active in resolving disputes through its conciliation, mediation and arbitration services.
There is an A-Z of employment topics and links to further resources and the agency provides advice and
assistance in various forms.
The Equality Commission for Northern Ireland is an independent
public body established under the Northern Ireland Act 1998. They work towards Northern ireland being a shared,
integrated and inclusive place, a society where difference is respected and valued, based on equality and fairness
for the entire community. Their mission is to advance equality, promote equality of opportunity, encourage good
relations and challenge discrimination through promotion, advice and enforcement.
Law Centre (NI) is a not for profit agency working to advance
social welfare rights in Northern Ireland. They provide advice and representation on referral from our membership,
including strategic court work and representation before the social security commissioners, industrial tribunals,
immigration appellate authorities, social security tribunals and Mental Health Review Tribunals.
areas covered include Social Security, Community Care, Employment, Immigration and Mental Health.
Industrial Tribunals and The Fair Employment Tribunal
of Northern Ireland share a web site.
Industrial Tribunals are independent judicial bodies in Northern Ireland that hear and determine claims
to do with employment matters. These include a range of claims relating to unfair dismissal, breach of contract,
wages and other payments as well as discrimination on the grounds of sex, race, disability, sexual orientation, age,
part time working and equal pay.
The Fair Employment Tribunal is an independent judicial body in Northern Ireland that hears and
determines complaints of discrimination on the grounds of religious belief or political opinion.
You can search on the site for main decisions of the Industrial Tribunals or The Fair Employment Tribunal or both Tribunals.
Northern Ireland Legal Services Commission is a non-Governmental
Public Body established under the provisions of the Access to Justice (Northern Ireland) Order 2003 and
replaced the Legal Aid Department of the Law Society of Northern Ireland. The Commission is responsible
for administering publicly funded legal services and is accountable to the Secretary of State for
Constitutional Affairs. A key part of the site is a register of all solicitors in Northern Ireland which can
be searched by County or town, and by specialism.
Social Economy Legal is a new blog which covers the
social enterprise and charity sector in Northern Ireland and Britain. It comes from Conor Morgan, a trainee solicitor operating in Belfast.
It covers very serious topics like Reform of Industrial & Provident Societies, Charities & Trading Subsidiaries (a series of posts),
Social Franchising, Community Interest Companies (CIC's) and Credit Union Reform in Northern Ireland.
Law Centre (NI) is a not for profit agency working to advance
social welfare rights in Northern Ireland. The site provides an Encyclopedia of Rights to help Northern
Ireland advisers assist their clients in applying for benefits, appealing decisions, ensuring that they receive
the care they are entitled to and generally safeguarding their rights. Although designed for Northern Ireland, most of
the information is also applicable to the rest of the UK.
(The encyclopedia can be accessed by the general public. However, members of the public cannot ask
the centre of advice directly. They should contact independent advice centres
and CABs for advice. Cases will be referred to the Law Centre where appropriate.)
Enhanced British Parliamentary Papers on Ireland
(EPPI) involves the electronic cataloguing and full-text digitisation of some 13,700 British Parliamentary papers
(containing around 365,000 pages) from the University of Southampton's Ford Collection of
Official Publications.
The parliamentary Blue Books contain masses of information on Ireland and its relations with Britain
in this period: from massive social inquiries and census enumerations, through reports on economic,
educational and scientific subjects, cultural and linguistic institutions and political and military
developments, to transcripts of semi-literate emigrant letters.
Phase 1 is now available (launched on 19th February) and provides a comprehensive searchable database of
Parliamentary Papers relating to Ireland 1801-1922, with bibliographic information,
Library of Congress subject descriptors and, for a significant selection of items, abstracts of contents.
Phase 2, the full text digitisation of the records identified in Phase 1, will be complete by 2005.