News

Washington has become the first US state to approve composting of human remains as an alternative to cremation. Governor Jay Inslee signed a new law allowing licensed facilities to provide “natural organic reduction”, which changes a body into roughly two wheelbarrows' worth of soil over

A dead woman was within her rights to disinherit two of her children who accused her of witchcraft. The late mother-of-three lawfully removed her sons Francisco and Jorge Javier from her will, the Supreme Court of Spain has ruled.

A man who accepted a job as a minibus driver for a charity had his job offer withdrawn a month later on the basis of his age, despite having submitted at least five documents displaying his date of birth in the application process. The Workplace Relations Commission found his complaint of age discri

Mason Hayes & Curran has announced the promotion of Tara Kelly to partner in the firm's competition and antitrust team. Ms Kelly's primary area of practice is Irish and EU competition law, and she has extensive experience in advising clients on complex merger control.

A statutory committee of judges will draw up guidelines on personal injury pay-outs under plans approved by the Cabinet yesterday. The Government will table amendments to the Judicial Council Bill to give effect to the recommendation of the Personal Injuries Commission chaired by former judge Nichol

Proposals to require judges to publish a declaration of interests are under consideration by the Cabinet. The idea was raised by Independent Alliance TD and Transport Minister Shane Ross in a discussion about the Judicial Council Bill at yesterday's Cabinet meeting, The Irish Times reports.

Trespassing should become a criminal offence in order to protect Irish businesses and landowners from theft and burglary, Fianna Fáil has said. The opposition party has called for a review of trespass laws in order to tackle rising rural crime rates.

Residential property prices in Northern Ireland fell slightly in the first quarter of the year, according to new figures from the Northern Ireland Statistics & Research Agency. The NI House Price Index decreased by one per cent from Q4 2018 to Q1 2019, though it was up by 3.5 per cent on a year-

Belfast solicitor John Finucane, son of murdered human rights lawyer Pat Finucane, will put his legal career on hold for a year as he serves as Lord Mayor of Belfast, according to reports. Mr Finucane, a partner at Finucane Toner Solicitors, will continue to be involved in a small number of cases, i

Irish barristers bested their colleagues from the north of England in an annual rugby fixture in Cork.

A team of four students at the Institute of Professional Legal Studies (IPLS) at Queen's University Belfast triumphed in the inaugural All-Ireland Mediation Competition, sponsored by A&L Goodbody. Students Eimear Cathcart, Allison Weir, Hayley Cummings and Amanda Gilliland triumphed over three r

Belfast-based Carson McDowell presented a cheque for more than £2,800 to PIPS Charity after a year of fundraising for the charity.

Declining access to legal aid in England and Wales has been highlighted in a United Nations report on the UK, which describes the budget as having been "decimated". Legal aid has been dramatically reduced in England and Wales since 2012. The LASPO Act (Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offende

Three schoolchildren who sued a shop for defamation after being accused of stealing and opening a packet of biscuits have won their case. The children, cousins, claimed a member of staff had loudly accused them of stealing a multipack of Happy Hippo biscuits from an Iceland in Finglas, Dublin, The I

A man whose horse was seized by Galway County Council and destroyed as a result of unpaid fees incurred as a result of the same seizure has been granted an order setting aside the decision to dispose of the horse by way of destruction. Stating that the destruction was disproportionate, Mr Justice Ga