Connor Beaton

Three senior counsel will compete this week for election as chairperson of the Bar Council for a two-year term. The candidates in the running to succeed Maura McNally SC, who is held in great esteem by the bar and is regarded as having been an effective spokesperson for the profession, are Sara

Barristers are owed an average of €27,000 by solicitors and may require legislative change allowing them to sue for unpaid fees, a landmark report has said. Published this morning, the independent report and strategic review completed by EY has been welcomed by Bar Council chairperson Maura McN

A disappointing government announcement on grants for victims of the Mica scandal has driven more people to take action through the courts, a lawyer representing hundreds of affected homeowners has said. Dave Coleman, managing partner of Coleman Legal LLP, told Irish Legal News he has now been

"We are on the cusp, I believe, of the commencement and introduction of one of the most transformational pieces of legislation in Irish history," says Annette Hickey, senior associate and head of the surrogacy and fertility law team at Poe Kiely Hogan Lanigan LLP (PKHL). Ms Hickey is one of a number

The run-up to next month’s Northern Ireland Assembly elections has been dominated by the lingering impact of Brexit, with unionist opposition to the Northern Ireland Protocol threatening to prevent the formation of a new power-sharing Executive. But Naomi Long, leader of the cross-community Al

Northern Ireland's justice minister Naomi Long has called on Boris Johnson to resign from the office of prime minister over the 'partygate' scandal, which she says has undermined the rule of law. Mr Johnson yesterday became the first sitting prime minister to be sanctioned for breaking the law, havi

Convicted murderer Graham Dwyer has succeeded in his EU court challenge to an Irish data retention law that played a crucial role in his trial and conviction.

The government has broken a commitment made just days ago for the long-awaited Family Court Bill to be published by the end of March 2022. Justice Plan 2022, launched by justice minister Helen McEntee on Monday, gave "Q1 2022" as the date for the publication of the bill, which will establish a Distr

St Patrick’s Day has long been a date of special significance in the Irish diaspora calendar, with Irish communities across the world marking the occasion with parades and céilís. This year in particular will see millions of people celebrating the day together for the first time

Gardaí are influencing the selection of criminal defence solicitors for detainees in the absence of a consistent and transparent process, new research suggests. A new paper by legal academics Professor Yvonne Daly and Dr Vicky Conway, published in the Journal of Law and Society, explores the

The late Lord Kerr of Tonaghmore "embodied" the case for always having a judge from Northern Ireland on the Supreme Court bench, Lady Hale has said. The former Supreme Court president reflected on the importance of the court having judges from all parts of the United Kingdom as she addressed a virtu

Northern Ireland will not follow New Zealand in providing parental bereavement leave and pay for couples following a miscarriage. MPs in New Zealand this week approved legislation which will make the country one of only two in the world to provide paid leave in the event of miscarriages and stillbir

Solicitors are facing potential misconduct investigations over the alleged non-payment of hundreds of thousands of euros in fees due to barristers, in one case dating as far back as 15 years ago, new figures reveal. Data obtained by Irish Legal News shows that the Legal Services Regulatory Authority

The mooted introduction of a US-style system of salaried public defenders in Ireland would be a "complete disaster", lawyers have said. The new programme for government includes a commitment to "independently examine the option of a dedicated system of public defenders".

Ireland faces a looming disclosure crisis on par with jurisdictions like England and Wales due to the growing volume of digital evidence and limited resources, a leading criminal barrister has warned. Speaking yesterday at an Irish Legal News webinar on access to justice, Jane McGowan BL, outgoing c