News

Christian Ahlund, chair of the ECRI People in Northern Ireland have a lower level of protection against racial discrimination than people in other parts of the UK, according to a major Council of Europe body.

It will no longer be necessary to have a law degree in order to qualify as a solicitor under plans being pushed by regulators. The Solicitors Regulation Authority’s new scheme would see a single new entrance exam for everyone wishing to enter the profession.

The unfair trial application of a convicted paedophile has been dismissed as "manifestly ill-founded" by the European Court of Human Rights as it vindicated the findings of the English Court of Appeal that the jury in his trial was impartial. The applicant, Shabir Ahmed, is a British national who wa

Gerard Armstrong Belfast firm Carson McDowell advised the RiverRidge Group on a £10 million investment by its Business Growth Fund, the largest investment to date by BGF in Northern Ireland.

In the High Court, Justice McCorry struck out claims against the State involving negligence and misfeasance in a public office, brought by the widow of a man who was murdered in 1972. Justice McCorry found that the woman had no reasonable cause of action, but refused to strike out her claim of misfe

Eilis Barry, FLAC chief executive Nearly 29,000 people received help from FLAC (Free Legal Advice Centres) last year, according to a new report which the legal rights group says shows the continuing impact of austerity in Ireland.

The Association of Judges of Ireland (AJI) was strongly opposed to abandoned proposals to change expenses rules for judges, The Irish Times reports. Documents released under a Freedom of Information (FOI) request show judges wrote to the Department of Public Expenditure over plans to only permit an

Elizabeth Denham The UK's newly-installed information commissioner, Elizabeth Denham, has called for the UK to implement upcoming EU data protection laws in spite of the Brexit vote.

Lord Chief Justice, Sir Declan Morgan The Lord Chief Justice, Sir Declan Morgan spoke in support of the use of problem-solving courts at an event to mark the 40th anniversary of Foyle Women's Aid.

Alan Heuston McCann Fitzgerald has announced the appointment of Alan Heuston, former director of tax at Paddy Power, as a partner in the firm's tax group.

The total cost of pay-outs by the State Claims Agency (SCA) rose by more than 50 per cent to reach nearly €220 million in 2015. According to a report from the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General, the SCA spent €219.9 million on awards and associated claim costs in 2015, compared to €

Darragh Mackin Lawyers for Irish citizen Ibrahim Halawa are sceptical of a trial taking place "any time soon" following its fifteenth adjournment.

Health Minister Simon Harris The lifetime ban on blood donation by men who have sex with men (MSM) will be lifted on 16 January 2017, the Irish Independent reports.

In the District Court, Justice Rosemary Horgan found that a mature minor who travelled to Ireland with an older gentleman was now habitually resident in Ireland, and had consensually entered into an intimate relationship with the man. Amidst allegations of child trafficking on the part of her parent

Dr Brian Barry A substantial number of legal and industrial relations practitioners are dissatisfied with the reforms introduced by the Workplace Relations Act 2015, a survey for the Employment Law Association of Ireland (ELAI) has found.