Connor Beaton

Irish judges have been told they can use AI tools like ChatGPT to summarise information, write speeches and carry out administrative tasks, but should not use it for legal research or analysis. Irish Legal News has seen the first formal guidelines for Irish judges on the "responsible use of generati

A senior Irish legal academic has withdrawn from a major EU symposium on the rule of law after organisers proposed to platform "fake judges and pseudo experts" linked to Poland's rule of law crisis. Professor Laurent Pech of UCD Sutherland School of Law yesterday said he had lost faith in the organi

A barrister who survived breast cancer in her 40s has urged colleagues to undergo screenings after she received an early diagnosis and treatment thanks to what felt like “divine intervention”. Northern Ireland barrister Julie Ellison was diagnosed with cancer in May 2024 after taking up

Solicitors have overwhelmingly rejected plans to lower the standard of proof applied in the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal for Northern Ireland. Members of the Law Society of Northern Ireland last week forced a U-turn on its position at a special general meeting which backed the continued applicat

The Law Society of Northern Ireland is today facing a rebellion from members over a proposed change to the standard of proof applied by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal for Northern Ireland. A special general meeting is taking place this afternoon following a request from more than 50 solicitors

The Law Society of Northern Ireland is to hold a special general meeting following a backlash from members over plans to lower the standard of proof applied by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal for Northern Ireland. The tribunal currently applies the criminal standard of proof, meaning that alleg

Solicitors have urged the Law Society of Northern Ireland to intervene against plans to lower the standard of proof applied by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal for Northern Ireland. The tribunal currently applies the criminal standard of proof, meaning that allegations must be proved beyond reas

A solicitor who was forced out of her home by a relentless campaign of criminal harassment has urged legal professionals to break the “taboo” of speaking out about abuse. Emma Lyons, who runs a family and criminal law practice in west Belfast, joined the Law Society of Northern Ireland&r

The establishment of a Sentencing Council for Northern Ireland would increase public confidence in the criminal justice system, the Ulster Unionist Party's justice spokesperson has told Irish Legal News. Doug Beattie, who sits on Stormont's justice committee, said the establishment of a dedicated bo

Government proposals to allow guardianship rights to be "removed" from a parent convicting of killing the other are unlikely to be constitutionally permissible, a legal academic has warned. Ministers last week published the general scheme of the Guardianship of Infants (Amendment) Bill 2025, which s

Barristers appearing in the most serious criminal cases in Northern Ireland are effectively being asked to do twice the work for half the pay they were getting two decades ago, the chairperson of the Bar of Northern Ireland has told Irish Legal News. Donal Lunny KC, who took up office in September,

ILN's Connor Beaton talks to Philippa Greer about how UNRWA is battling to preserve international humanitarian law in Gaza, where at least 42,800 Palestinians have now been killed in Israel's military response to the October 7 attack. Philippa Greer had already accepted the top job in UNRWA’s

‘Necrogamy’ might sound deeply unpleasant, but in fact refers to a lawful practice in France — one of the only jurisdictions in the world to allow, in certain circumstances, posthumous marriage between a living person and their deceased partner. And Mrs, a bittersweet dark comedy

The Supreme Court has dismissed an appeal by convicted murderer Graham Dwyer in a case concerning the admissibility of evidence which was obtained in breach of EU law. Delivering judgment for the Supreme Court, Mr Justice Maurice Collins said the court had dealt with "materially identical issues" in

Criminal barristers across the State have withdrawn their services today in a major escalation of The Bar of Ireland's campaign for fee restoration. Dozens of barristers and some solicitor colleagues defied the wind and rain to gather in front of the Criminal Courts of Justice in Dublin this morning