Phoenix Law have initiated legal action against the Southern Area Health Trust following their decision to move maternity services from Daisy Hill Hospital in Newry to Craigavon Area Hospital. Solicitor Jack Murphy who is acting for a local expectant mother said: “We have initiated this legal
Appointments
See all articlesCMG Cunningham Dickey Solicitors has welcomed Paula Gibson as a partner, strengthening the firm’s specialist private client team. Ms Gibson is STEP-qualified and brings experience gained in the private client departments of leading Belfast law firms. She joins Julie Ann Osborne and Chris
The Irish office of international law firm Addleshaw Goddard has announced the appointment of Ray Byrne as head of Ireland, succeeding Mark Walsh following his successful five-year term in the role. Mr Byrne will take up this role on 1 January 2027 as part of a planned succession strategy at the fir
Nathaniel Lacy LLP had appointed Louise Smith as partner in charge of their new Cork office. Ms Smith advises insurers and self-insured organisations on motor, employers’ liability, public liability and indemnity claims. She brings experience in complex, large-loss matters and the defence of s
Nasc - the Cork-based migrant and refugee rights centre - is welcoming its new CEO Sonya Donnelly this week. Ms Donnelly comes with a wealth of international experience having held several senior positions with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). In the past decade she was sta
P.A. Duffy & Co Solicitors has announced that Emma McCaul and Ellen Hartles have been appointed directors of the firm. The appointments are a milestone in the firm's continued growth and development as one of Ireland's full-service law firms, with offices in Belfast, Dublin, Dungannon and Omagh.
LawCare, the mental health charity for the legal sector, has welcomed Mark Evans as its new chief executive. He joins as the charity approaches its 30th anniversary and looks to reach more people across the legal sector and help make working in law healthier. Mr Evans brings more than 30 years&rsquo
Northern Ireland
See all articlesCMG Cunningham Dickey Solicitors has welcomed Paula Gibson as a partner, strengthening the firm’s specialist private client team. Ms Gibson is STEP-qualified and brings experience gained in the private client departments of leading Belfast law firms. She joins Julie Ann Osborne and Chris
Phoenix Law have initiated legal action against the Southern Area Health Trust following their decision to move maternity services from Daisy Hill Hospital in Newry to Craigavon Area Hospital. Solicitor Jack Murphy who is acting for a local expectant mother said: “We have initiated this legal
The Law Society of Northern Ireland Has met with the QUB Diversity in Law Society for a discussion with students on access to the profession. The discussion explored some of the barriers individuals may face when pursuing a career in law, alongside the wide range of opportunities available to aspiri
Justice minister Naomi Long told the second day of the ‘Foundations and Future: Policing 2026 and Beyond’ conference that lasting confidence in policing “must transcend the politics of the moment and be rooted in fair, impartial and accountable policing that serves all of our socie
Tughans LLP has announced the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust (KBRT) as their charity partner for the upcoming year.
Universities
See all articlesThe Law Society of Northern Ireland Has met with the QUB Diversity in Law Society for a discussion with students on access to the profession. The discussion explored some of the barriers individuals may face when pursuing a career in law, alongside the wide range of opportunities available to aspiri
Alex Conor Harbison is this year’s recipient of the Mason Hayes & Curran Innovation in Professional Practice Prize at Maynooth University School of Law and Criminology. The award was presented by Catherine Kelly, partner in Mason Hayes & Curran education law team.
Dr Chloë Cass has joined the European Research Council (ERC) PatentsInHumans team as a postdoctoral researcher. A graduate of Maynooth University and The Honorable Society of King’s Inns Dr Cass was previously a practising barrister in Dublin and on the Eastern Circuit.
Matheson has announced that Patrick Kerry of University College Cork has been named the recipient of the Tim Scanlon Corporate Law Bursary 2026. Established in 2022 to honour former Matheson partner and chairperson, Tim Scanlon, the annual bursary is delivered through Matheson’s Impactful Busi
Dr Kevin Costello, associate professor of law at UCD Sutherland School of Law, has been elected as an honorary bencher by The Honorable Society of King's Inns. He dined for the first time as a bencher last Thursday evening. He was joined at the event by a number of colleagues from UCD School of Law
Interviews
See all articlesLisa Ann Wilkinson became a barrister after a decidedly varied career path – but like everything else she’s done, she immersed herself in the law with a passion. The Dublin-based Junior Counsel describes herself as a mother, feminist, barrister and entrepreneur and her legal career is fo
Julie Galbraith, chief business officer and general counsel at Irish insurance broker, Arachas, recently took part in Rory’s Miles 2 Mayo walking nine marathons over nine days and covering 235 miles across Ireland in aid of Cancer Fund for Children. She spoke to Irish Legal News about taking o
The numbers show that data security incidents have ascended ineluctably during the past five years. And according to the UK’S Cyber Security Breaches Survey, cybersecurity is not necessarily getting worse just because a greater percentage of companies are being attacked, but rather the attacks
Colin Cardwell
Naoise Nunn tells Emma Hutchinson how Kilkenny Law Festival aims to make the law more accessible, entertaining and relevant to the public. Next weekend will see the Kilkenny Law Festival fill venues across the beautiful city of Kilkenny from Friday to Sunday. Unlike a traditional legal conference, t
Emma Hutchinson
Ireland’s role as one of the world’s leading aircraft leasing hubs dates to 1975, when the billionaire businessman Tony Ryan founded Guinness Peat Aviation (GPA) in 1975. Ryan, of course, was also one of the co-founders of Ryanair in 1984. His venture created a pool of experienced aviati
Colin Cardwell




