This engaging book provides a clear and comprehensive account of the legal system of Northern Ireland.

For many years it has been a go-to source for students and practitioners of law, yet is also accessible to readers with no prior legal knowledge.

The book begins by explaining how Northern Ireland became a separate legal jurisdiction, what its current constitutional arrangements are, how its legislation is made and what kind of courts and judges it has. It then looks at when international law is of importance in Northern Ireland, explaining the role of documents such as the Windsor Framework and the European Convention on Human Rights.

There follow chapters on laws applying to public bodies, on institutions involved in criminal justice and on rules governing criminal trials. A chapter on ‘private law’ summarises numerous important fields such as consumer law, employment law, succession law and family law. The book concludes with explanations of how civil cases are processed through Northern Ireland’s courts and of the role of lawyers and legal aid schemes.

The appendices set out sample sources of law for illustrative purposes.

This new edition, now co-authored, has been thoroughly updated with a view to making it even more informative and relevant to readers’ needs. It is a ‘must have’ for anyone wanting to come to grips with the detailed features of a jurisdiction which has long been the subject of political contention and which is constantly developing.