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Bees can legally be considered a type of fish, a court in California has ruled. An appeals court sided with the California Fish and Game Commission after it was sued by agricultural groups over its decision to classify certain species of bumblebee as endangered.

Divorcing couples in England will be provided with £500 mediation vouchers to help them resolve disputes away from court. The scheme was originally launched on a trial basis last March and has already seen 8,400 vouchers issued to divorcing couples. An additional £5.4 million in funding

Emergency legislation could be introduced to give non-prosecuting gardaí a right of audience before the District Court to address the "turmoil" caused by a recent High Court ruling, the chair of the Oireachtas justice committee has suggested. Ms Justice Marguerite Bolger ruled this week that

The Supreme Court has quashed a decision to refuse an Irish passport to a child whose father's refugee status was retrospectively revoked. The case focused 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 refugee

A round-up of human rights stories from around the world. Russia says planning domestic ‘alternative’ to European rights court | The Moscow Times

Plans to scrap the direct provision system of accommodation for asylum seekers have been delayed because of the war in Ukraine, the government has admitted. Roderic O'Gorman, whose portfolio includes the direct provision system, told the Dáil today that the war "had an unavoidable impact on t

The father of comedian Jimmy Carr has called for his son to be stripped of an honour after he made derogatory comments about the city of Limerick. In a new book, Mr Carr describes his parents – who hail from Limerick – as having "moved from a shit town to another shit town" when they rel

Ireland's top law firms have welcomed recognition for their roles in award-winning deals at the 2022 Finance Dublin Deals of the Year Awards. The latest edition of the magazine recognises 42 deals as the most significant and noteworthy transactions in 2021 from the point of view of deal excellence i

Amanda Stewart, the chief executive of the Probation Board for Northern Ireland, has been recognised with the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the Queen's Birthday Honours. Ms Stewart said: "I feel very humbled to have received this honour and it is recognition of all those working within justic

ByrneWallace LLP has announced its sponsorship of this year’s Irish Early Career Awards, which celebrate excellence and recognise the achievements of young professionals in Ireland, reward innovation, best practice and outstanding achievement across a broad range of sectors. This year's awards

Fears have been raised of a chilling effect on victims and survivors of domestic abuse coming forward following a high-profile court battle between Hollywood actor Johnny Depp and his ex-wife, actress Amber Heard. A jury in Fairfax County, Virginia yesterday awarded around $10.4 million in damages t

Over 1,000 legal professionals and their families and friends took part in the 24th annual Calcutta Run on Saturday. The fundraiser returned to the grounds of the Law Society of Ireland for the first time since 2019 as it aims to raise €300,000 for its partner charities, The Hope Foundation and

Dublin firm McKenna & Co Solicitors has announced the appointment of Méabh Flynn as a trainee solicitor. Ms Flynn joined the firm during the pandemic as a paralegal after completing an LLB Law with French degree at Queen's University Belfast.

Linda Hynes, partner at Lewis Silkin Ireland, has been appointed as chair of the Employment Law Association of Ireland (ELAI). Ms Hynes, a partner in the employment, immigration and reward division of Lewis Silkin's Dublin office, will oversee the work of ELAI, which includes liaising with stakehold

The long-awaited review of the civil legal aid scheme will be led by retired Chief Justice Frank Clarke and will commence work this month, the government has announced. The review group – which has been given a year to complete its work – will also have members drawn from those who work