Long participates in Rule of Law Pledge Signing Ceremony

Date published: 15 May 2025

The Minister was speaking at a formal signing ceremony marking the Opening of Signature to the Convention on the Protection of the Profession of Lawyer and the Promotion of the Law Society Rule of Law Pledge. The event at Parliament Buildings, Stormont was attended by representatives from the legal profession, judiciary, government and civil society.

The ceremony marks a significant milestone for the legal profession in Northern Ireland and beyond, celebrating the opening of signature to the Convention – a landmark international agreement aimed at safeguarding the independence, integrity, and security of legal professionals across Europe. The event also commemorated the Law Society’s Rule of Law Pledge, encouraging legal professionals to personally affirm their commitment to legal integrity, human rights and the independence of the legal profession. 

Justice Minister Naomi Long, who was the first elected representative in Northern Ireland to sign this pledge, said:

 “I recognise that respect for the rule of law is an indispensable principle, necessary in a free and fair society. The lessons of history and the events of the present remind us that it is a principle that we must support and fight for every day.

“At a time when loud and influential voices are setting up a false opposition between the law and the will of the people, or when valuable legal advocacy is misrepresented as politically-motivated activism, this is an opportunity for us to take a stand and say again that the rule of law is a principle that we will stand by and defend.  And in doing so we will stand by and defend legal professionals.”

“Delivering an effective justice system is a key component of the Department’s mission to create a fair, just and safe community, where we respect the law and each other. To that end, I have recently consulted on a delivery plan enabling access to justice, recognising that the legal profession is absolutely indispensable to that mission.

“Enabling access to justice is about giving people an effective means of securing the rights and protections to which they are entitled under the law.  We can do this by making systems simpler and fairer, and by putting in people’s hands the tools that they need to deal with more issues independently.  But at the same time, when all else fails, legal advice and help, and ultimately, representation in court is often the last opportunity for recognition and restitution for those who have been wronged.

“We will not always necessarily agree on the shape of proposed reforms, or on how we prioritise the tasks that face us, but it is encouraging to be starting from a shared belief in the capacity of the rule of law, and of access to justice, to make a vital and powerful intervention in people’s lives at a time when they need it most – and a shared commitment to maximising the positive impact of our work as best we can.”

In closing, Minister Long reaffirmed: 

“I will remain your strongest ally in ensuring that the rule of law is respected, and that a strong and independent legal profession is empowered to play its proper role in society.”