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North’s solicitors set up new safety group

The Law Society of Northern Ireland has set up a new group on solicitor safety in response to a growing number of reports from its members about harassment, threats, and intimidation while carrying out their professional duties. 

The solicitors’ organisation has also called for legislative changes to strengthen protection for legal professionals in the North. 

The new group, which includes solicitors who have experienced direct threats or abuse in the course of their work, held its first meetings earlier this month. 

It is to guide the society’s response to what it describes as “the growing pattern of hostility” facing members of the solicitor profession. 

‘Serious gaps’ in legislation 

The organisation has written to the North’s justice minister Naomi Long calling for solicitors to be formally recognised as ‘frontline workers’ in the upcoming Sentencing Bill, making attacks and harassment against solicitors in the course of their professional duties a statutory aggravating factor. 

It argues that there are “serious gaps” in the current legal protections.  

"Recognising solicitors as frontline workers is not just symbolic; it is a necessary step to ensure they can undertake their professional duties without fear for their personal safety," said David Lavery (Chief Executive, Law Society of Northern Ireland). 

"It would also affirm the principle that no solicitor should be forced to choose between representing a client and safeguarding their family," he added. 

Policing response 

The society has also written to PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher to request a meeting about the policing response to threats and harassment experienced by solicitors, particularly female practitioners. 

It says that its letter highlights “a pattern of inadequate or delayed responses from police, and calls for greater awareness within PSNI of the risks legal professionals face”. 

Recent cases of hostility have included incidents where solicitors have been followed from their offices, harassed in their homes, or subjected to sustained abuse, according to the society. 

Access to justice 

President Colin Mitchell said that the issue was not only a matter of professional safety, but also an access-to-justice issue. 

“When solicitors are threatened, the justice system itself is undermined," he stated. 

As well as engaging with police and policy-makers, the society is developing new guidance and resources to assist members in managing personal safety, reporting threats, and accessing psychological, and professional support. 

It is also planning a public campaign that will underline the vital role that solicitors play in the justice system and the unacceptable nature of any attempt to threaten them.