McIvor Farrell Solicitors have been involved in many landmark cases, some of which are described below:
Brexit Article 50 Judicial Review
During 2016 and 2017 Ciarán O’Hare successfully acted for Mr Raymond McCord establishing that only Parliament could trigger Article 50. 1
“Border Poll” Case
In 2020 Ciarán O’Hare was the instructing solicitor in this landmark constitutional challenge concerning the criteria for triggering a referendum on Irish reunification. The case produced significant rulings from both Sir Paul Girvan in the High Court and the Northern Ireland Court of Appeal.2
Halted Goods Checks
Ciarán O’Hare successfully litigated this high-profile Brexit-related case3, centred on the decision of then-Minister Edwin Poots MLA, who instructed officials to halt checks on goods entering Northern Ireland from Great Britain.
The challenge raised critical questions about ministerial authority, the implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol, and the constitutional relationship between devolved institutions and the UK government.
Following the successful judgment, Ciarán O’Hare described the ruling as a:
“resounding vindication of the rule of law”,
emphasising that
“no minister, regardless of political stance, is above the law”.
The decision was of profound constitutional importance, not just for Northern Ireland, but for the functioning of the UK’s devolved governments.
- Agnew & McCord v UK Government, contributing to the constitutional judgment in R (Miller) v Secretary of State for Exiting the EU [2017] UKSC 5, establishing that only Parliament could trigger Article 50 ↩︎
- Raymond McCord v The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland [2020] NIQB 20 ↩︎
- JR181(3) [2022] NIKB 34 ↩︎