Taking legal action is a complementary strategy, not a solo pursuit. That's why our Summer School focuses on how legal processes can boost (but never replace) your day-to-day work as a human rights activist. Join us next week - book your FREE place now! pilsni.org/news/pils-su...
Public Interest Litigation Support (PILS)
@pilsni.bsky.social
Since 2009, PILS has connected human rights NGOs and lawyers to pursue cases that challenge injustice, protect human rights, and promote equality in Northern Ireland. https://pilsni.org/
***SAVE THE DATE*** 📆24 July 2026 🕧12.30 📍Museum of Free Derry Huge thanks to @bloodysundaytrust.bsky.social for the invitation to be part of this conversation about land, law and social justice! @saveloughneagh.com #FoENI #YoungFoEDerry www.eventbrite.ie/e/environmen...
The High Court in Belfast has declared that the Department for Infrastructure has failed to properly test diesel emissions as part of MOT testing - for TWO DECADES! Reaction from @pilsni.bsky.social @friendsofearthni.bsky.social & #NICCY: pilsni.org/news/clean-a...
Siobhán, Joanne & AD’s settlements are a powerful example of the vital role that independent law centres play in our communities. PILS were honoured to support Law Centre NI through Siobhán McLaughlin’s legal journey: www.lawcentreni.org/news/justice...
The neon blue-green algae blooms at Lough Neagh prompted local communities and campaigners to hold a wake for the Lough in 2023: www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/... This Thursday, The Law Society of NI's 2026 Climate Justice Conference is examining how the legal profession can respond to ecological harm.
A Wake for Lough Neagh - BBC Sounds
Author Nick Laird investigates the environmental crisis at Northern Ireland's Lough Neagh.
bbc.co.uk
The network of 120+ legal professionals on the PILS Pro Bono Register have been shortlisted for the 2026 LEAP Irish Law Awards in the ‘Pro Bono Publico’ category! pilsni.org/news/2026-irish-law-awards-finalist/ Winners announced: 12 June. Congratulations! Comhghairdeas libh! #WeDoProBono #EPBW
The theme of European Pro Bono Week 2026 - Reinforcing Pro Bono Ecosystems: Building Partnerships That Last – mirrors PILS' #WeDoProBono approach perfectly. Learn more – 10 June 2026 – Belfast forms.cloud.microsoft/e/uEHa1gQaYW @probonoweekuk.bsky.social @pilnet.bsky.social
“One of the most prominent providers of pro bono [in NI]…is @pilsni.bsky.social” – Global Pro Bono Guide 2026, Thomson Reuters Fdn Solicitors and barristers in #NorthernIreland – join us in Belfast on 10 June to learn more about our pro bono community: forms.office.com/e/uEHa1gQaYW
In the words of Naga Kandiah, pro bono legal work = a lifeline, a voice, a shield. Hear more from the 2025 @lawworks.bsky.social Pro Bono Award winner in Belfast on 10 June. Book your place today: forms.office.com/e/uEHa1gQaYW #WeDoProBono #PublicInterestLitigation
Our 'Navigating the Freedom of Information Request Process' training with @childlawcentre.bsky.social was fully booked... but a place has just become available! Thurs 21 May @ 14.00 📣Email emma[at]pilsni.org or complete the RSVP form to claim the spot. (First come, first served!)
Lawyers in NI: your skills can help drive real change. Join us on 10 June for a lunchtime seminar on becoming part of the growing pro bono community supporting human rights. ⭐Keynote speaker Naga Kandiah. ⭐1 CPD point. Q&A, lunch & networking. RSVP today. forms.cloud.microsoft/e/uEHa1gQaYW
Members of the UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition, across lots of sectors, are seeing the same pattern: Legal threats being used to deter legitimate public interest work. 🚫This is not how the justice system should function. On this Day of Action, follow the hashtag #StopSLAPPs to learn more.
Latest from the Omagh goldmine inquiry - cyanide still referenced in the planning application. I'll be writing on the issue for investigative and long-form journalism outlet @thedetailtv.bsky.social this week. Read all about the proceedings here.. www.thedetail.tv/articles/cya...
Cyanide still referenced in Dalradian Gold’s Sperrins mine application
The bid to mine in the Sperrin Mountains received 50,000 objections to the project
thedetail.tv
Save our Sperrins' campaigner Marella Fyffe is very skilled at making complicated topics understandable. Here she is (in the pink fleece), explaining why major transparency concerns around the Public Inquiry into goldmining prompted SOS to hand-deliver a petition to the Planning Appeals Commission.
ICYMI: The National Pro Bono Centre is recruiting a Senior Communications Officer! They will create content & manage all external communications for NPBC, the hub for pro bono lawyers across E&W. 📆Closing date: 13 April 2026 www.nationalprobonocentre.org.uk/about-us/job-vacancies/ #WeDoProBono
Job vacancies - National Pro Bono Centre
The National Pro Bono Centre is seeking a brilliant Senior Communications Officer to join our team on a fixed term basis (maternity cover).
nationalprobonocentre.org.uk
"A prolonged battle that will define the future of mining in Northern Ireland..." Before the inquiry into plans to mine for gold in the Sperrins returns on 13 April, @shaunacorr.bsky.social outlines why this is one of the island's most contentious planning cases. More in today's @irishtimes.com:
My first outing with the @irishtimes.com looking at how the reconvened inquiry into Sperrin Mountains gold-mining proposal looks to decide 17-year battle. It also got a mention in today’s podcast 👇 www.irishtimes.com/environment/...
Wishing all our member organisations, supporters and friends a restful Easter break! The PILS team will be back online on Wednesday, 08 April 2026. If you have questions in the meantime, our Toolkit and FAQs are here to help:
This year’s World Book Day theme invites us to Go All In — and there is no better time to go all in on stories that heal, empower, and transform. The Rest of the Story: Transforming Trauma to Voice, Agency, and Leadership (2025) is more than an anthology. It is a social movement in book form.
It's time to act on poverty! 1 year after @cajni.bsky.social's court case - backed by @pilsni.bsky.social - that challenged the NI Executive's failure to adopt an anti-poverty strategy, we're taking our call for action to the steps of Stormont. 05 March 2026 @ 13.00 @equalitycoalition.bsky.social
Put the 'public' at the heart of the Public Inquiry! For a long time, PILS have backed the call of local communities to make the upcoming goldmining inquiry accessible. Today, we were proud to stand with Save Our Sperrins @actnowcampaigns.bsky.social as they handed over their 4k-strong petition!
We stood with fellow protectors, Save Our Sperrins, @actnowcampaigns.bsky.social @pilsni.bsky.social To hand in 4000 signatures to the Planning Appeals Commission to demand they make the public inquiry into the proposed goldmine accessible to the public!
Got questions on how the planning system works? Our member organisation Community Places are running a free advice session TODAY! Their advisors will be at East Belfast Community Development Agency between 11.00 and 15.00.
Another great Funding Fayre. Thanks to @nicva.org and the Halifax Foundation for NI for creating vibrant spaces where we can connect with funders and fellow fundraisers. (...and the sandwiches were delicious, as always!)
Funding Fayre 2026 - what a day. Thanks to all our attendees, funders and support organisations who exhibited, and to everyone who took part in such positive, practical funding conversations. Special thanks to the Halifax Foundation for Northern Ireland for supporting the event. #FundingFebruary
Supporting local climate organisers to use legal tools as part of their activism is something we at PILS are passionate about. Huge thanks to our friends @ejni.bsky.social for inviting us to be part of the conversation with @srenvironment.bsky.social in Dublin.
In Dublin last week, EJNI met with Astrid Puentes Riaño, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Right to a Healthy Environment.🤝 🗣️We shared our concerns re the transoundary implications for a Human Right to a Healthy Environment for citizens living across the whole island of Ireland.
PILS and @cajni.bsky.social have a vibrant history of collaboration. 🧑⚖️Challenging NI Executive's failure to introduce an Anti-Poverty Strategy 🔴Teaming up w/ @cnagaeilge.bsky.social @ Info Tribunal ✅Working together in the NI Human Rights Fund There's still time to apply for their latest vacancy:
📢 We’re hiring: Senior Legal and Policy Officer (Legacy) Work on the legacy of the Northern Ireland conflict, supporting legal & policy interventions, litigation, and justice reform. 💼 £44,075 pa | 35 hrs/week | 3-year contract with extension possibility More info 👉 caj.org.uk/get-involved...
“…I felt people were taking us a wee bit more seriously…because we had this backing of yourselves…” Public interest litigation or legal tools aren't a substitute for campaigning. They are a powerful complement. 🎙️Deena Nimick & Wesley McGrady talk to To Be Fair NI about their collaboration:
NEW PODCAST EPISODE 🎧 Today, To Be Fair NI features a candid conversation with CILNI’s Deena Nimick and barrister Wesley McGrady. It's about solidarity, collaboration & the change that can be achieved when human rights activists team up with pro bono lawyers. www.podbean.com/eas/pb-b98nh-19cab45
"First of all, in my previous life, I was a linguist before I became a barrister." In the first episode of #TBFNI, barrister Iryna Kennedy reflects on how her background in linguistics shaped her pro bono collaboration w/ @cnagaeilge.bsky.social @cajni.bsky.social www.podbean.com/ew/pb-uupq3-...
We’re back! 🎙️ To Be Fair NI returns with stories of hope, collaboration & legal changemaking. In Ep1, Cuisle Nic Liam, Úna Boyd & Iryna Kennedy talk bilingual signage, language rights & testing new legal ground. Éist: www.podbean.com/ew/pb-uupq3-19bf11b @cnagaeilge.bsky.social @cajni.bsky.social
🆕Podcast Alert🆕 To Be Fair NI returns for Series 2 on Thurs 13 Nov 2025. Join us for special #WeDoProBono interviews, reuniting incredible activists and Pro Bono Register lawyers. Justice is a team sport. @cajni.bsky.social @cnagaeilge.bsky.social @probonoweekuk.bsky.social #CILNI #BarofNI
At last night’s #ProBonoWeek UK launch, there was a powerful reminder that legal pro bono takes many forms. The Know Your Rights to Protest guide, created with 5 pro bono barristers, shows how legal skills can meet grassroots needs here in NI. Link in comments. #WeDoProBono