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Justice is a team sport.

Help us defend human rights and equality in Northern Ireland.

Who are PILS?

PILS is the only dedicated public interest litigation hub in Northern Ireland.

As an infrastructure organisation, we support community and voluntary organisations and human rights solicitors to pursue public interest cases on human rights and equality issues.

These legal challenges make real and significant differences to the lives of communities across Northern Ireland.

By building strategic partnerships between lawyers and civil society, PILS creates litigation that changes lives.

What is public interest litigation?

There isn’t one globally agreed definition but at PILS, we see public interest litigation as legal action:

  • that is taken on a human rights or equality issue of broad public concern,
  • which provides an opportunity to clarify, develop or change the law;
  • typically concerning groups of people who have been disadvantaged, overlooked or mistreated;
  • and will benefit society as a whole.
The image is a still from the longer animation. The word CHANGE appears in bold, white, capital letters in the middle of the screen. Surrounding it are photos of lots of diverse people. Some are facing the camera directly, holding banners and protest signs. The background colour is a hopeful, rich green.

How do we do it?

Provide legal and financial support for strategic public interest cases which otherwise would not proceed.

Run a Pro Bono Register of over 120 legal practitioners who provide free advice, research, representation and training.

Maintain a ‘fighting fund’ which allows us to cover court fees, other outlays and provide indemnities against adverse costs orders.

Facilitate and deliver capacity building training to better equip civil society to identify public interest cases – and to better equip lawyers to take those cases.

Create resources to demystify and democratise the legal system, making it more accessible to groups who have been marginalised by society.

After Lorraine Cox was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 2017 at the age of 37, she went to court to challenge the legal definition of terminal illness.

Backed by Law Centre NI and PILS, her case – combined with a powerful campaign – changed the law in Northern Ireland. Now, people with terminal diagnoses can access vital social security support faster because of Lorraine’s incredible legacy.

A tribute to Lorraine Cox

Stop Whitehead Oil Terminal (SWOT) led a successful campaign to block the redevelopment and expansion of an oil terminal in Belfast Lough.

PILS provided SWOT with the comprehensive support they needed to start judicial review proceedings. The local council conceded, revealing the value of using public interest litigation to hold public authorities to account

Read more

The PIL Toolkit is a free, and unique in NI, online capacity building resource for NGOs.

Created by PILS and peer-reviewed by pro bono lawyers, it demystifies and democratises the process of public interest litigation.

Of the top five visited pages on our website since April 2024,
three are the Toolkit resources, accessed by 2,397 individuals.

Use the Toolkit
The image is a still from a longer animation. There is a silver-grey laptop in the middle of the graphic, with the Toolkit scrolling across its screen. The words: 'Public Interest Litigation Toolkit' float alongside the laptop, inside teal green boxes.

What you can do.

Become a Partner of PILS
& donate to our mission.

Join our Pro Bono Register
& share your expertise.

Connect & collaborate
with local human rights defenders.

Talk to us.

Community House, City Link Business Park
6A Albert Street
Belfast, BT12 4HQ

+44 (0)28 9099 4258

info@pilsni.org

9am-5pm, Mon-Fri







    “PILS 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.”
    Lady Chief Justice of Northern Ireland, Dame Siobhan Keegan