News

Several people have been arrested in Switzerland, known for its liberal laws on assisted dying, in connection with a woman's death in a so-called "suicide pod". Prosecutors in Schaffhausen, the country's northern-most canton, were notified on Monday by a law firm that an assisted suicide with the Sa

Missouri has executed a convicted murderer who maintained his innocence for more than two decades, despite last-minute appeals from both defence and prosecution lawyers for a delay. Marcellus Williams, 55, was already serving a lengthy prison sentence for burglary offences when he was convicted in 2

Judicial review proceedings have been brought against the Law Society of Northern Ireland in relation to the disclosure of orders of the Solicitors' Disciplinary Tribunal for Northern Ireland. Granite Legal Services is challenging a decision by the Law Society's registrar not to hand over copies of

A group campaigning for Traveller and Roma rights has expressed disappointment that the government has abandoned plans to legislate on hate speech. Justice minister Helen McEntee announced on the weekend that hate speech laws could not be brought forward in the absence of a "consensus" on the matter

FLAC was able to answer just over a fifth of the 50,000 calls to its legal information and referral telephone line last year, according to its latest annual report. Early legal assistance was provided in response to just 12,472 queries, with the NGO calling on the government to establish a properly-

Belfast firm MKB Law has appointed two new solicitors and a legal executive. Chris Quinn joins the firm as a solicitor in its private client team, advising clients on matters including wills and estate planning and administration. He also offers guidance on enduring powers of attorney and controller

Gráinne Berrill has been designated for appointment as director of the new National Office for Community Safety. The new office is to be established under the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024 when it is commenced later this year and will lead on the establishment of new local

A former restaurant worker in Co Kerry has been awarded over €23,000 by the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) for breaches of minimum wage and working time laws. Suman Bhurtel, who is originally from Nepal and was working with an employment permit, was represented at the WRC by the Migrant R

The UK's most notorious cold cases could be solved using AI. Police chiefs think that cloud-based software Söze could be fed huge quantities of information to help detectives crack unsolved cases.

A seven-year-old child named after a Star Wars character was denied a British passport due to rights concerns. Loki Skywalker Mowbray's parents slipped in the reference because he was born on 4 May, celebrated by fans as 'Star Wars Day'.

An implementation group tasked with reducing lengthy conveyancing and probate processes to just eight weeks has met for the first time. The group has been established to implement the recommendations of a report published in July, which found that conveyancing can currently take an average of 9.5 we

Research by a law professor at University College Dublin has highlighted significant links between intimate partner violence and paramilitary coercive control in Northern Ireland.

More than twice as many asylum judicial review cases were lodged with the High Court last year than the year before, according to new figures. The Courts Service today published its annual report for 2023, revealing that almost 550,000 new cases came before the courts last year.

The UK government has been urged to scrap the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR) following a court defeat. Northern Ireland's Court of Appeal ruled on Friday that the controversial Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 breaches human r

A fixed penalty of €2,000 can now be imposed on those who sell tobacco products or nicotine inhaling products at events aimed at children. The relevant sections of the Public Health (Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Act 2023 have been commenced with effect from today.