Matheson partners Julie Murphy-O’Connor, Tony O’Grady, Brendan Colgan, Grainne Dever and Mairéad Ní Ghabháin explore recent changes to the law on hearsay evidence. The Civil Law and Criminal Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2020 was recently passed by the Dá
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The Executive Office is unlawfully stymieing the implementation of the legacy pension scheme for victims of the Troubles, the High Court in Belfast has ruled. Mr Justice Gerry McAlinden handed down judgment this morning in respect of two separate judicial reviews brought by Jennifer McNern and
Kildare solicitor Liam Moloney has been appointed as co-chair of the new COVID-19 litigation group within the Pan European Organisation of Personal Injury Lawyers (PEOPIL). Mr Moloney, managing partner at Moloney & Co Solicitors, joined the organisation's executive board earlier this year.
Legislation to protect private renters in Northern Ireland from eviction during the COVID-19 crisis will be extended to 31 March 2021. The Private Tenancies (Coronavirus Modifications) Act requires landlords to give tenants a 12-week notice to quit period before seeking a court order to begin procee
A freedom of information request by the Irish Independent has revealed that the child and family agency Tusla had 201 recorded data breaches in just over 18 months. The cases were broken down into four risk categories: high risk (23 incidents), medium risk (53), low risk (123), and no risk (2).
Law firm Kennedys has urged the Northern Ireland Executive to change the way the personal injury discount rate is calculated to reflect what injured people do with their compensation in real life. The Department of Justice recently launched a consultation on how the discount rate or “real rate
Two technology companies are being sued over claims that users' personal data is being obtained using cookies and traded unlawfully for advertising purposes. A legal claim will be filed by campaigners from the non-profit organisation Privacy Collective against tech giants Oracle and Salesforce in Am
Dr Thomas Muinzer of Aberdeen Law School in Scotland comments on the Supreme Court's recent squashing of the government's climate change plan. I have talked multiple times in print and in lectures of Ireland’s need to live up to the distinguished legacy of John Tyndall (1820–1893),
The Court of Appeal has overturned the ruling of then-president of the High Court, Mr Justice Peter Kelly, refusing to adjourn an inquiry into whether a man with a moderate learning disability who wanted to marry should be made a ward of court. Background
Flor McCarthy, managing partner at McCarthy + Co Solicitors, explains that statements of truth have been introduced but will not yet be immediately available for use in personal injury and medical negligence claims. Back in May we started a campaign to replace affidavits sworn on oath with a more mo
Dr Sarah Fulham-McQuillan, assistant professor at UCD Sutherland School of Law, considers the legal basis for mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations. Promising results from COVID-19 vaccine trials emerged last month, while concern grows about the non-attendance by close contacts of coronavirus patients for
A criminal defence solicitor accused of theft and perverting the course of justice wants to meet the case head on and “reclaim his reputation”, a court has heard. Cahir O'Higgins, 45, appeared briefly before Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on Friday in order to set a trial date.
There is no clear legal basis for social welfare inspectors questioning passengers on certain flights out of Ireland as a blanket policy, the Data Protection Commission (DPC) has warned. The Department of Social Protection (DEASP) told the watchdog that customers boarding certain flights in recent m
A new online application process for grants of probate and letters of administration is set to be rolled out from September. The Courts Service of Ireland has said it will "modernise and transform the current process, making it easier and more efficient to complete".
A focus on improving statistics and meeting targets is having a negative impact on victims' and witnesses' experience of the criminal justice system, a new report has found. Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland (CJINI) has warned that an insufficient emphasis on the personal experiences of t

