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Plans to give gardaí new powers to order protesters to remove face coverings risk creating a "chilling effect" on freedom of expression, campaigners have warned. Justice minister Jim O'Callaghan yesterday said new powers are necessary as "some protesters are covering their faces in an obvious

Rebekah Vardy has been ordered to pay over £1.4 million in legal costs following her defeat in the "Wagatha Christie" court case. Mrs Vardy unsuccessfully sued Coleen Rooney after she publicly accused her of leaking details about her personal life to The Sun.

Matheson has announced plans to mark the firm's 200th anniversary throughout 2025. The firm traces back its "family tree" to Richard Alexander Walker and Matthew Anderson, two solicitors practising in Georgian Dublin in 1825.

A man has lost an appeal against his conviction for harassing Belfast solicitor Emma Lyons. Kevin Kennedy, 37, was convicted in Belfast Magistrates' Court in March 2024 of harassing Ms Lyons on dates between July 2022 and February 2023.

TikTok has said it will appeal a €530 million fine imposed by Ireland's Data Protection Commission (DPC) following an investigation into transfers of EU users' personal data to China. The DPC announced the fine on Friday after finding that TikTok had violated the GDPR in respect of its transfer

The OUTLaw Network will host an event later this month to celebrate 10 years of marriage equality. Founded in 2019, the OUTLaw Network is dedicated to promoting and fostering the inclusion of LGBT+ individuals and allies in the legal sector in Ireland.

The UK's ban on industrial sandeel fishing will continue after the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) ruled on a legal challenge brought by the European Union. The EU alleged that the closure of Scottish and English waters to sandeel fishing breached the EU-UK Trade and Co-operation Agreement.

A manhunt for a convicted killer came to an embarrassing end after his jailers realised they had forgotten him at a courthouse for at least 12 hours. Officials at Clayton County jail in Jonesboro, Georgia ordered a lockdown and search after they could not find 70-year-old Julian Brooks Deloach.

RDJ has appointed Erc Walsh as a partner in the firm's real estate and finance practice. Based in the firm's Galway office, the firm said Mr Walsh's strategic addition will reinforce its commitment to expanding its national practice and strengthening its presence in the west of Ireland.

Spanish prosecutors are for the first time investigating the deaths of thousands of Spaniards in Nazi concentration camps. Dolores Delgado, the Spanish prosecutor for human rights and democratic memory, yesterday announced the launch of the investigation, which will examine whether the Franco dictat

A Limerick solicitor has encouraged others from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds to apply to the Law Society of Ireland's access programme. Vanessa Blake, a previous recipient of the access programme, has shared her experiences as the Law Society invites applications for its first intake

The solicitors' hourly rate used in assessments of legal costs in Northern Ireland is to be increased by more than 50 per cent to £155 per hour. The new hourly rate, signed off by the Taxing Master on Tuesday, will take effect from 1 June 2025 and will apply until 1 April 2027.

Arthur Cox has appointed 17 new senior associates and senior foreign registered lawyers. Angelina Cox, Niamh Murphy, Susanna Meindl, Dearbhla O’Sullivan and Ruby McEntegart have been appointed in the firm's asset management and investment funds team.

TikTok has been fined €530 million by Ireland's Data Protection Commission (DPC) following an investigation into transfers of EU users' personal data to China. The DPC, in its role as the lead supervisory authority for TikTok, launched the inquiry to examine the lawfulness under the GDPR of Tik

A round-up of human rights stories from around the world. Top British human rights lawyers could be hit by Trump sanctions | The Observer