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Proposals to improve the experiences of victims and witnesses within the criminal justice system, including through the establishment of a Victims of Crime Commissioner for Northern Ireland, have gone out to consultation. The two-part consultation, which will run until 29 July 2021, seeks views on a

Legislation banning the sale of alcoholic drinks for less than 10c per gram of alcohol will be brought into effect this year, ministers have announced. Minimum unit pricing, as provided for in section 11 of the Public Health (Alcohol) Act 2018, aims to reduce alcohol consumption by setting a floor p

The RUC failed to effectively investigate the killings of four people by police officers at the start of the Troubles in 1969, the Police Ombudsman has found. In a 128-page report published today, Marie Anderson said there were significant operational and investigative failures by the RUC in relatio

In a dramatic U-turn, the US government has signalled its support for waiving intellectual property protections for Covid-19 vaccines and medical tools to help developing countries tackle the global pandemic. The waiver was first proposed by India and South Africa last October in a detailed submissi

The Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) today issued a set of minimum requirements for conditions of detention in European prisons, concerned by the negative effects of pre-existing austerity measures in certain states, which could be exacerbated by the Covid-19 p

A farmer accidentally annexed part of France to his native Belgium after moving a 200-year-old stone marking the border between the countries. The border marker has been in place since the border was first drawn up in 1819 and ratified in the Treaty of Kortrijk the following year.

The Supreme Court has upheld the admissibility of certain surveillance evidence which was used to convict members and associates of the IRA. In so ruling, the court determined that section 10 of the Criminal Justice (Surveillance) Act 2009 did not require the Minister for Justice to individually aut

McCann FitzGerald has announced the appointment of six new partners, bringing the total number of partners at the all-equity partnership to 80. The new partners are Laura Deignan in aviation finance, Stephen Fuller and John Neeson in corporate and M&A, Niall McDowell in corporate banking, David

Commercial litigation partner Lisa Broderick has been re-elected unopposed to serve a second three-year term as the location head for DAC Beachcroft's Dublin office. Ms Broderick, who has been at the firm since 2010, is an experienced litigator who advises clients including financial services busine

Family lawyers have welcomed moves towards clearing the backlog of judicial separation and divorce cases in Dublin. Dublin County Registrar Rita Considine will fix hearing dates for cases today, tomorrow and Friday.

Solicitor Dr Muiris Ó Céidigh has been appointed as a member of Mutual Energy, a mutual company which manages strategic energy assets in the long-term interests of Northern Ireland's energy consumers. The company's mutual status means it does not have shareholders. Instead, members are

Proposals on how to fund mediation in non-family civil cases where legal aid has been granted have gone out for consultation. The consultation follows a High Court ruling in 2019 which found that legal aid for mediation is within the scope of a legal aid certificate in non-family cases.

More than three-quarters of Irish businesses are most concerned about their staff being a potential source of data security vulnerability, according to a survey conducted by business law firm Mason Hayes & Curran LLP. The firm surveyed over 200 respondents from industries such as technology, fin

A new chairperson and four new members have been appointed to the board of the Labour Relations Agency (LRA). Gordon Milligan, deputy chief executive of Translink, has been appointed to serve as chair of the board for a three-year term.

Lord Justice Treacy has been appointed to the Northern Ireland Judicial Appointments Commission (NIJAC) for a five-year term. The senior judge replaces Lord Justice Stephens following his appointment to the UK Supreme Court bench last year.