News

The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) has stripped McDonald's of its "Big Mac" trademark following an application from Galway-based fast food franchise Supermac's. In a landmark ruling, the EUIPO said McDonald's had not proven genuine use of the trademark in the five years prior to

The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has adjourned proceedings against Ballaghaderreen solicitor Declan O'Callaghan until the conclusion of a separate civil action against him, the Irish Independent reports. The tribunal was due to hear complaints against Mr O'Callaghan from businessman Tom Fleming

Diversity in the legal profession is declining because fewer state-educated pupils are going into law than in the past, according to Cherie Blair QC. Social and economic diversity have been greater problems in law than gender, the wife of former prime minister Tony Blair said.

Dublin solicitor Bernadette Parte opened her home to the Irish Independent for a feature looking at the south Dublin house she shares with her husband and three children. Ms Parte, who qualified as a solicitor in 1996 and has been a sole practitioner since 2009, talked to the newspaper about her fam

Legislation criminalising "upskirting" in England and Wales has been passed. Upskirting is the practice of taking a photo underneath a person's skirt without their permission.

A woman running massage parlours in Dublin who told gardaí she thought the offering of "manual relief" was legal has received a fully suspended prison sentence. Nan Wu, 37, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to controlling and directing the actions of prostitution for gain in the

A top Israeli attorney suspected of offering to help secure appointments to the bench in exchange for sex has been arrested. The unnamed man is alleged to have nominated a woman for appointment to a magistrates' court in exchange for sex.

The Attorney General for Northern Ireland should apply to intervene in litigation involving the north-south interconnector to clarify devolution issues referred to the UK Supreme Court. Stating that it was desirable for legal questions to be determined against the background of a clear factual matri

Immigration and asylum lawyers have told Irish Legal News that a new practice direction issued by the president of the High Court is "unworkable". The new direction, issued by Mr Justice Peter Kelly on 17 December, places a significant burden on solicitors to include additional information in applic

The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) has announced the appointment of Doireann Ansbro as senior research and policy officer. Ms Ansbro, a former associate legal adviser to the International Commission of Jurists, succeeds Dr Maeve O'Rourke in the role.

An Irish-American lawyer and former White House adviser has said the Irish-American community could deploy its "political strength" to block a post-Brexit UK-US trade deal if a hard border returns to Ireland. Writing for BuzzFeed News, Brian O'Dwyer of New York law firm O'Dwyer & Bernstien said

Plans for a new courthouse in Laois have now moved forward despite pressure from county councillors, the Leinster Express reports. Councillors have complained that the existing courthouse on Main Street in Portlaoise is one of the busiest in the State and disrupts the town centre.

Dr Conor Hanly, lecturer at NUI Galway School of Law and author of the 2009 book Rape and Justice in Ireland, writes for Irish Legal News today on the issue of anonymity for rape defendants. The trial in Belfast of Paddy Jackson and Stuart Olding for rape brought the issue of defendant anonymity int

Jade Gabriel, a solicitor in Cleaver Fulton Rankin's private client team, has been awarded an advanced certificate in the administration of trusts. The award is a key milestone on her road to qualifying as a trust and estate practitioner with the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP), hav

The Department of Justice has issued an urgent call-out to find hotels and guest houses willing to provide emergency accommodation for asylum seekers, The Irish Times reports. The move comes days after a devastating fire at a hotel in Rooskey which had contracted with the Department to house 80 asyl