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Northern Ireland firm Cleaver Fulton Rankin has announced four promotions across its insolvency and business restructuring, planning and environment, and marketing and business development teams. Maria McNally has been promoted to associate director within the insolvency and business restructuring t

Coffee breaks don't count as work, a court in Italy has ruled – despite espresso being so ingrained in the country's work culture. After a 10-year legal battle, Italy's Supreme Court has ruled that a woman who broke her wrist during her coffee break did not suffer a workplace accident.

Over 100 solicitors and barristers have signed a petition calling on the EU to intervene on Irish criminal lawyers' pay in order to protect the rule of law. The eight-page petition sent to Paolo Gentiloni, the European commissioner for the economy, and seen by Irish Legal News appeals to the Eu

Legislation to improve the independence of the Marine Casualty Investigation Board (MCIB) in light of an EU court ruling has been published by the government. The Merchant Shipping (Investigation of Marine Casualties) (Amendment) Bill 2021 provides for a number of amendments to the legislation that

A public consultation has been launched as part of the government's review of the Freedom of Information Act. The consultation, which will run until 17 December 2021, asks participants to briefly identify key issues with the FOI system as they see it, in order to assist the Department in defining th

Just eight people were convicted of rape in Northern Ireland in the 2020/21 financial year amid a significant decrease in court business during the Covid-19 pandemic. The Public Prosecution Service (PPS) received a total of 1,568 files involving a sexual offence in 2020/21, a decrease of 6.9 per cen

Two students at University College Cork (UCC) School of Law have each received a scholarship worth €5,000 and a work placement opportunity with Ronan Daly Jermyn (RDJ). Imamma Eunice Ikebuasi and Laya Little are the first recipients of RDJ's diversity scholarship, which supports students from b

Leman Solicitors LLP has announced the promotion of Elaine White to partner in the firm. Ms White while lead the litigation department alongside fellow partners Larry Fenelon and Ronan McGoldrick.

Nuala Jackson SC has been appointed as chairperson of the Legal Aid Board for a five-year term. Ms Jackson was an ordinary member of the outgoing Board. Six members of the outgoing Board have been reappointed while six new appointments have been made.

A train driver is suing his employer after it docked 28p from his wages because his train was late by a single minute. West Japan Railway Company said a strict “no work, no pay” principle applies to the incident from June last year.

ByrneWallace LLP has announced the reappointment of Feargal Brennan as managing partner for a second three-year term. Mr Brennan joined the firm in 2000 and became head of its corporate practice in 2011. He was elected as managing partner in June 2018.

The Court of Appeal has allowed an appeal brought by a personal injuries plaintiff who argued that he did not need a Personal Injuries Assessment Board (PIAB) authorisation in order to institute the proceedings. The plaintiff alleged that he was injured from a defective hip replacement and the High

The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has upheld an EU Commission decision to fine Google €2.4 billion for breaches of competition law. It was held that Google had abused a dominant position in the European market by favouring its own comparison shopping service over competing compa

The General Court of the European Union has upheld a €2.42 billion fine imposed on Google by the European Commission in 2017. The Commission found that Google had abused its dominant position on the market for online general search services in 13 countries in the EEA by favouring its own compar

Alison Cassidy, partner at DAC Beachcroft in Belfast, comments on Northern Ireland's low personal injury discount rate. It has been over five months since the Department of Justice made a shock announcement to change the personal injury discount rate (PIDR) from +2.5 per cent to -1.75 per cent, leav