News

IP firm Murgitroyd has appointed Mary White as a director of trade marks. Ms White brings extensive experience in Irish, UK and EU trade mark law, with a strong track record advising clients across a wide range of sectors.

Northern Ireland's equality watchdog has formally lodged court proceedings seeking clarification on the implications of a landmark UK Supreme Court ruling on transgender rights. The Equality Commission previously said it would ask the Northern Ireland courts to clarify areas of "significant legal un

Rowan White has retired from Arthur Cox Northern Ireland after a long and distinguished career with the firm. Mr White, who has enjoyed 48 years in the legal profession and was a former president of the Law Society of Northern Ireland, joined Norman Wilson & Co in 1983 and was instrumental in it

Eversheds Sutherland has recruited Robert Dever and Mary Gavin as partners in Dublin. The appointments are the first senior hires since the integration of the Irish practice into the firm's international business in September.

Police have arrested a man on suspicion of theft after he allegedly swallowed a diamond-encrusted Fabergé egg — which has yet to be recovered. Officers were called to a jewellery store in Auckland, New Zealand last Friday, where store staff accused the 32-year-old of swallowing the item

Ireland is an attractive target for foreign state-backed hackers, a new report from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has warned. The 2025 National Cyber Risk Assessment, launched at the NCSC's annual conference yesterday, warns of a "rapidly evolving global threat landscape".

Northern Ireland firm Foot Anstey McKees has celebrated the "exceptional growth" of its hospitality business, led by licensing specialist Linus Murray. The commercial law firm says the number of licensed premises it acts for has grown by 2,000 per cent over the last five years.

The Legal Services Regulatory Authority (LSRA) has set out a three-year plan to help achieve "an Ireland where legal services are trusted and accessible to all". The regulator today published its strategic plan for 2025-2028, developed over a six-month period with input from staff and more than 200

More than 100 gardaí are to be equipped with tasers as part of a six-month pilot programme. The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) has expressed deep concern over the pilot, which will be rolled out in Dublin, Waterford and Kilkenny.

A proposed new scale of fees for environmental judicial reviews has gone out for consultation. Climate, energy and environment minister Darragh O'Brien said he expected to hear "strong and divergent views" on the scale of fees, which has been proposed under the Planning and Development Act 2024.

Northern Ireland firm Davidson McDonnell has doubled the size of its corporate team after welcoming five new members this year. The commercial law firm, which recently marked 10 years since its foundation in Belfast, now has a 10-strong team specialising in corporate transactions.

Former Arthur Cox partner Niav O'Higgins has passed away. Ms O'Higgins spent two decades with Arthur Cox and led the firm's construction and engineering group until her retirement in July 2024, after which she continued to work as an adjudicator in construction disputes.

Juries are to be scrapped in trials where defendants face up to three years' imprisonment in England and Wales. The UK government has confirmed its plans to introduce what it calls "Canadian-style juryless trials", claiming they will help to cut delays in criminal justice system — which lawyer

John O'Kelly has been elected as chairperson of the Belfast Solicitors' Association (BSA). Mr O'Kelly, a partner in Belfast-based HHD Solicitors, was elected at yesterday's BSA AGM to succeed outgoing chairperson Robert Croskery.

Will Carmody has been re-elected as managing partner of Mason Hayes & Curran for a second term. Mr Carmody took the reins in January 2023 after over 20 years with the business law firm, at the time leading its financial services practice.