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Plans to strengthen the regulation of lobbying in Ireland have moved forward with the publication of the general scheme of a new lobbying bill. The general scheme of the Regulation of Lobbying (Amendment) Bill 2022 was published yesterday after approval by ministers earlier this week.

A public consultation has been launched on proposals to replace zero-hour contracts in Northern Ireland with banded weekly hour contracts in cases where a worker’s hours, as set out in their contract, do not reflect the actual hours worked each week. Stormont's economy committee has begun its

Northern Ireland's draft budget, which included controversial cuts to justice funding, has effectively been scrapped in the absence of a first minister and deputy first minister. Finance minister Conor Murphy yesterday told MLAs that legal advice from the Departmental Solicitor's Office (DSO) and th

The Northern Ireland Prison Service has set out its plans to remove most restrictions introduced in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, including the reintroduction of in-person contact visits. The six-week "road to recovery" plan sets out what the prison service aims to have in place by Monday 4 Apr

The Supreme Court is set to rule on the deprivation of Irish citizenship from a child whose father's refugee status was retrospectively revoked. The case focuses on "UM", who was born in Ireland and asserted Irish citizenship on the basis of his Afghan father’s residency in the country, as a r

MKB Law has become the first law firm in Northern Ireland to achieve the 2022 GDPR certification for law firms from Briefed. Briefed has created bespoke GDPR training for law firms, meeting all ICO standards, which allows firms to annually certify directors, associates, support staff and trainees at

A new statutory agency on domestic, sexual and gender-based violence could be established after a damning report from Tusla called for a dramatic increase in the provision of refuges. At least 50 or 60 new refuge places are needed as a priority, according to the review, with 10 locations identified

A&L Goodbody LLP (ALG) has announced plans to completely redevelop its headquarters at North Wall Quay in Dublin in support of its continued growth. The new office, to be developed in partnership with IPUT Real Estate, will be specifically designed to promote agile working which will "embed the

A courthouse dramatically went into lockdown after suspicious packages on its doorstep were reported to police – which turned out to be from Taco Bell. Police set up a perimeter around the federal courthouse in Tuscaloosa, Alabama after employees raised the alarm, blocking adjacent streets to

Hungary and Poland have failed in legal challenges to EU rules that allow for funds to be withheld from member states that fail to protect the rule of law. The rule of law conditionality regulation provides that the European Council may, at the request of the European Commission, adopt measures in r

Civil proceedings brought against Prince Andrew in the US by sex trafficking victim Virginia Giuffre have ended in an out-of-court settlement, reported to be worth up to £12 million. The Duke of York has strenuously denied Ms Giuffre's allegations that he sexually assaulted her on three occasi

Gun manufacturer Remington will pay $73 million to the families of nine victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting under the terms of a settlement announced yesterday. Remington, which is bankrupt, manufactured the Bushmaster AR-15 style rifle used by 20-year-old gunman Adam Lanza in

Arthur Cox has announced the appointment of Darragh Geraghty as head of its New York office and Conor McCarthy as head of its London office. Mr Geraghty, a partner in the firm's finance group, takes over the New York office from Phil Cody, who has served in the role since 2017.

An Irish lawyer was forced to withdraw face masks with the words "no comment" emblazoned on them after being warned they could fall foul of advertising regulations. The Law Society wrote to Ciarán Mulholland in 2020, early in the Covid-19 pandemic, following a complaint made by a fellow solic

A Stormont committee has failed to agree on a way forward for a bill of rights for Northern Ireland after nearly two years of work. The ad hoc committee on a bill of rights, established in February 2020, yesterday published its report, based on engagement with a wide range of experts in human rights