15 years of ‘thinning the veil’ between law and activism
“The work of PILS is, so it seems, to be not merely theoretical or confined to legal debates. It has actually made real and lasting changes to the lives of people in Northern Ireland and I never lose sight of that issue.”
– Lady Chief Justice Dame Siobhan Keegan
On 07 November 2024, human rights defenders, legal practitioners, members of the judiciary and the media joined PILS’ staff and board to celebrate our 15th anniversary.
Lady Chief Justice of Northern Ireland, Dame Siobhan Keegan delivered a stirring keynote address that not only celebrated the people and communities at the heart of seminal PILS-supported public interest cases, but also charted the growth of our organisation from its inception.
Our staff and board team were honoured to have the first woman to hold the highest judicial office in Northern Ireland describe PILS as an organisation that has “in many ways, transformed the pursuit of justice and equality in Northern Ireland and continues to make a huge impression and difference in the legal world.”
In particular, LCJ Keegan noted PILS’ involvement in ground-breaking public interest cases across three key areas of life:
- social security (Lorraine Cox and Law Centre NI’s 2020 challenge to the legal definition of terminal illness when accessing social security support)
- education (Drumragh Integrated College’s ‘gamechanging’ judicial review and Coláiste Feirste’s successful legal action)
- environmental and climate justice
Reflecting the fact that the event was taking place during UK Pro Bono Week, PILS Chair Fiona Doherty KC paid tribute to the community of 130+ legal practitioners on our Pro Bono Register, saying “we are incredibly grateful for and consistently impressed by the generosity of those who have signed up … and by the work that they do for us.”
As our Senior Engagement Lead Emma Cassidy said, in closing the event, PILS thank all of the member organisations who have believed in our ability to support their own life-changing work since 2009. Drawing on the example of Oíche Shamhna, the Celtic festival that was the catalyst for modern day Halloween, PILS have always strived to ‘thin the veil’, or connect, the two diverse but complementary worlds of law and activism.
Photo gallery
Photographs by Alisa Lymanska.
