Opinion

Scottish silk and chair of the Tumbling Lassie Committee, Alan McLean QC, takes a look at a new book on modern slavery.

Rob Corbet and Caoimhe Stafford of Arthur Cox consider some of the key changes that will be brought about when the Gaming and Lotteries (Amendment) Act 2019 enters into force. Almost a year after it was signed into law, the Gaming and Lotteries (Amendment) Act 2019 will come into effect on

Professor Ursula Kilkelly, from University College Cork, considers the impact of remote hearings on the legal rights of children under Irish and international law. COVID-19's public health restrictions have necessitated changes in practice across the legal system. Principal among these is the increa

Tom O'Malley SC considers golfgate and calls for any backlash or punishment of public officeholders in attendance to be rational and proportionate. The backstory to what has become known as Golfgate is now well-known. The Oireachtas Golf Society held a two-day outing on 18 and 19 August at Ballyconn

Keavy Ryan, partner at A&L Goodbody, reflects on the future for solicitors qualifying in 2020. Take a moment to consider the class of 2020. After years of hard work from secondary school right through to the final year of third level, they will graduate into a world of uncertainty. Over the

Christopher Stanley, litigation consultant at KRW LAW LLP, comments on the UK government's proposals to restrict judicial review in England and Wales. Apparent judicial over-reach or the exercise of excessive judicial power is the present scourge of some in the current British government.

Ronan Daly Jermyn partner Gillian Keating interrogates the real drivers of change in healthcare and explores what should be key priorities for the HSE and the government. The headlines across the globe tell a story of transformation, reform and renewal within the healthcare sector.

Benjamin Bestgen this week considers the moral obligations of companies. See his last jurisprudential primer here. Lawyers often keep their views on the moral qualities of their clients or clients’ actions to themselves. Morality, many think, is subjective, particularly as differentiating neat

Stuart Nevin writes about a recent Court of Appeal decision on restrictive covenants, and the validity of an objection to proposed land developments based on aesthetic grounds. A recent Court of Appeal decision (89 Holland Park (Management) Limited -v- Hicks [2020] EWCA Civ 758) held that it was pos

Scottish advocate Fergus Whyte, who formerly practised at the New Zealand bar, examines a recent High Court decision on the lawfulness of the country's COVID-19 lockdown measures, which saw the Bill of Rights Act 1688 invoked. On 19 August 2020, the New Zealand High Court issued its judgem

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

Les Allamby, chief commissioner for the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, considers how Northern Ireland is dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. How does a national human rights institution (NHRI) respond effectively to the COVID-19 pandemic when human rights and freedoms are curtailed?

Margaret Cordial, litigation solicitor at Smithwick Solicitors, examines recent significant reforms to the Irish legal system. The government has signed commencement orders for the Civil Law and Criminal Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2020, which introduces significant reforms to respond to the

Benjamin Bestgen discusses the rights of animals in his latest jurisprudential primer. See last week's here. Britain is said to be a nation of pet lovers, with an estimated 50 per cent of British adults having a pet – dogs, cats and rabbits being the most popular. But Britain is also a nation

Gareth Planck, partner at Eversheds Sutherland, looks at how lockdown has changed offices and working routines. The global pandemic has reshaped how we go about much of our lives. It has of course, also reshaped how many of us work on a day-to-day basis. Kitchen tables and spare bedrooms have become