News

A local politician has resigned on the basis he cannot work amid allegations he is secretly the artist Banksy. William Gannon, a councillor in the south-western Welsh town of Pembroke Dock, gave the bizarre reason for his immediate resignation yesterday, The National reports.

Irish companies continued to attract near-record levels of M&A activity in the first four months of 2022, despite the challenging geopolitical and macro-economic global backdrop, according to data from EY Ireland. There were 60 Irish M&A deals with a combined value of almost $3.3 billion USD

Magic circle firm Clifford Chance has raised pay for newly-qualified UK-based solicitors by 16 per cent to £125,000. The firm previously raised NQ pay by 7.5 per cent to £107,500 just last November.

BHSM LLP has announced the appointment of Eoghan Murphy as a solicitor in the firm's corporate department. Mr Murphy specialises mainly in the areas of commercial agreements, corporate finance and mergers and acquisitions.

Dublin lawyer Martina O'Mahoney has been promoted to partner at global law firm Kennedys as part of the firm's largest-ever promotions round. The firm has appointed 22 new partners – more than twice as many as last year – bringing its total worldwide partner count to 293. Of the new part

Sir Geoffrey Vos, the Master of the Rolls, was recently welcomed to Belfast as a keynote speaker at the Commonwealth Mediation Conference 2022. The conference was organised by the Commonwealth Lawyers Association (CLA) in partnership with the Law Society Mediation Service (LSMS) and provided a platf

The head of Belfast firm McCartan Turkington Breen has been recognised at the SME News Managing Director of the Year Awards. Colin Mitchell, who became the firm's senior partner at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, was named Northern Ireland's Legal Services MD of the Year.

The number of new solicitor trainees in Ireland is at its highest level since 2008, the Law Society of Ireland has revealed. A total of 538 new trainees started the two-year process of qualification in 2021 (PPC I), with a significant majority (61 per cent) of them being women. Across the PPC I, PPC

The Probation Service has announced the appointment of Olivia Keaveney as its new deputy director of operations for courts and community. Ms Keaveney brings more than 18 years' senior management experience across the Probation Service and the charity sector. She previously held the position of assis

A wider range of providers of credit and hire purchase agreements have become subject to Central Bank regulation under new legislation. The Consumer Protection (Regulation of Retail Credit and Credit Servicing Firms) Act 2022 came into effect last week following a commencement order signed by financ

A senior judge has found the University of Bristol liable for multiple breaches of legal duties it owed to undergraduate student Natasha Abrahart in the lead up to her suicide on 30 April 2018. Ms Abrahart's body was found in her private flat on the day she was due to give a presentation to fel

Growing up in care should be a “protected characteristic” in equality legislation, the UK government’s care tsar has said. Josh MacAlister, a former schoolteacher who founded social work charity Frontline, was tasked by the government with leading a review of children’s socia

Advisers stationed at GP surgeries, council offices, libraries, and other convenient locations can help more people get more timely access to civil justice, according to a new think tank report. The Social Market Foundation said that legal support for civil justice can better reach the those in need

Three drunken tourists who trespassed into a bear enclosure in Alaska have been jailed. The men were sentenced last week for the incident in 2018 which saw them wade into the Brooks River at the Katmai National Park and interrupt the salmon-loving bears' dinner.

Lawyer Stuart Anderson has been appointed as head of public affairs at the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry. As part of a new member service, Mr Anderson will lead NI Chamber's direct interactions with politicians, helping to shape the legislative agenda and supporting elected repre