News

A non-statutory inquiry into the historical licensing and use of sodium valproate, also known as Epilim, in women of childbearing potential has commenced. Sodium valproate can cause birth defects, neuro-developmental disorders and autism in children whose mothers take it during pregnancy.

Stakeholders have been invited to feed into a review of the employment permits occupations lists. The last review of the occupations lists took place in 2023, and resulted in 11 additional roles being placed on the critical skills occupations List, and 32 roles being made eligible for a general empl

Dozens of peacocks and peahens have been reported stolen from the grounds of a luxury hotel. The birds have become an iconic feature of the Ryde Hotel in Walnut Grove, California since their introduction nearly 15 years ago.

The UK did not breach human rights laws by failing to take stronger action in response to allegations of Russian interference in the 2019 general election, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has ruled. In yesterday's Chamber judgment, judges in Strasbourg held unanimously that there had been

Professor Fionnuala Ní Aoláin has been elected as an international fellow of the British Academy. She is one of 92 distinguished scholars announced on Friday to have been elected to the British Academy’s fellowship in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the humaniti

Recent developments in dispute resolution law have shown up a distinction that practitioners in this field must be aware of: compulsory arbitration is not the same as mandatory mediation.  The European Court of Human Rights in Semenya v. Switzerland held that where athletes must accept Court of

England and Wales is set to follow Ireland in introducing a right to independent legal advice and representation for complainants in sexual offence trials when requests are made to introduce evidence of their past sexual behaviour. As part of its "end-to-end rape review", the UK government asked the

Ukrainian lawyers continue to face barriers to resuming their legal careers in Ireland, a major gathering has heard.

Gateley Legal Northern Ireland has renewed its support for Camp Aspire, a five-day retreat aimed at supporting children living in poverty across Northern Ireland. Hosted by Portadown-based charity Aspire NI, this year's camp at Crawfordsburn Scout Centre, on the outskirts of Belfast, will welcome mo

Mr Justice Bryan McMahon has been presented with the 2025 Hibernian Law Medal in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the legal tradition in Ireland. Dr Jonathan O'Rourke, editor-in-chief of the Hibernian Law Journal, presented the medal to the retired High Court judge at an event in Blac

Maria Watson BL has been awarded the Bar of Ireland's Liberator Scholarship, established to mark 250 years since the birth of Daniel O'Connell. Former president Dr Mary McAleese announced the winner last night at a special presentation event, where Ms Watson was presented with a special medal by Sir

Northern Ireland is set to criminalise the creation and sharing of sexually explicit "deepfake" images of adults under plans now out for consultation. There is currently no legislation in Northern Ireland which criminalises the creation and sharing of sexually explicit deepfake images where the imag

The Central Bank of Ireland has appointed Colm Kincaid as deputy governor for consumer and investor protection. Mr Kincaid, a qualified solicitor who practised with firms in London and Dublin prior to joining the Central Bank in 2004, will take up the senior leadership post from 1 August 2025.

A top New York law firm has reportedly sacked a summer intern who allegedly bit a number of colleagues. Sidley Austin was forced to drop the intern after a number of complaints, according to American legal blog Above The Law.

Ireland, the UK and 26 other countries have condemned Israel's "inhumane killing of civilians, including children" in Gaza in a strongly-worded joint statement. Issued yesterday and running to just under 400 words, the statement calls for an "immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire" as it w