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Sinn Féin has softened its historic position of opposition to the Special Criminal Court, with members agreeing a new position that non-jury trials should only take place in "exceptional circumstances". The party has traditionally called for the non-jury court, established in the late 1930s t

Around 7,500 defendants in Northern Ireland were waiting for their first court hearing at the start of October, according to new figures. Justice minister Naomi Long said the figure "is consistent with levels noted prior to the pandemic", when the number stood at around 7,200 defendants.

Northern Ireland's justice minister has set out her commitment to upgrading the courts and tribunals system in the north-west following a visit to the Bishop Street courthouse in Derry. Jury trials have not taken place at the courthouse since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic because it has not bee

A couple spent so much on lawyers in a bitter divorce battle that they destroyed their lifestyle in what a judge has called “nihilistic litigation”. Mr Justice Peel in the Family Division of the High Court said the “visible assets” of Captain Paul Crowther, 55, and his wife C

The UK’s national human rights institutions are warning that the human rights implications of the climate crisis must be tackled during COP26 in Glasgow. The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, Scottish Human Rights Commission and the Equality and Human Rights Commission highlighted that

A desk-based soldier's weight was fair game in a performance review, a court in Italy has ruled. A regional court in Tuscany dismissed a complaint brought by a soldier working as an accountant for the logistics regiment of a paratroopers brigade in Pisa.

Lawyers at a major City firm will be able to buy electric cars through a new scheme designed to contribute to the fight against climate change. Stephenson Harwood, which employs over 1,100 people across eight global offices, will make the scheme available to all staff in London from next year.

The Bar of Ireland has announced a number of initiatives to mark the centenary of Frances Kyle and Averil Deverell becoming Ireland's first woman barristers. Ms Kyle and Ms Deverell were the first women to be called in both Ireland and Britain, and Ms Deverell was the first woman on both islands to

The High Court has ruled that a scratch golfer who lost his index finger while assisting his golf club was entitled to €100,000 in damages arising from the accident. In so finding, the court held that the plaintiff was not a member of the club at the time and was therefore entitled to pursue th

A virtual conference hosted by global legal business DWF will examine Northern Ireland's interim personal injury discount rate (PIDR) of -1.75 per cent, which the firm describes as the lowest in Europe. The sector-wide conference will consider the changes and their repercussions, which could see sub

Belfast-based NGO The Pils Project is hosting a free webinar next week to mark UK Pro Bono Week. Taking place on Tuesday 2 November at 6pm, the webinar is designed to be "inspirational and practical", with real-life examples of how lawyers can proactively share their expertise while avoiding burn-ou

Matheson has announced the 2021 launch of its diversity and inclusion scholarship in association with Trinity College Dublin (TCD), now renamed in honour of late Matheson partner Cara O'Hagan. The Matheson Cara Scholarship is open to second year undergraduate law students in TCD, including students

Philip Lee partner Clare Cashin, senior associate Claire Wallace-Duffy and associate Thompson Barry Doherty examine emerging case law on construction payment disputes. Two recent High Court decisions on enforcement of an adjudicator’s decision reaffirm the “pay now, argue later” ap

Climate justice professor and former Irish president Mary Robinson is among the high-profile speakers at a major legal conference in Edinburgh today – ahead of the UN climate change summit, COP26, which begins on Sunday. The event, hosted jointly by all three UK law societies and which wi

The Court of Appeal has ruled that the Health Service Executive (HSE) was required to carry out assessments of children with suspected disabilities on a chronological and nationwide basis. In so ruling, the Court rejected a submission that the HSE could carry out such assessments of need on a region