News

Three lawyers have been appointed to Northern Ireland's Civil Legal Services Appeal Panel, which adjudicates appeals against civil legal aid decisions. Séamus McIlroy, a barrister and former solicitor who served as director of legal services for the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland from

A draft bill to strengthen protections for whistleblowers in Ireland has been published. The Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Bill 2022 will transpose the EU Whistleblowing Directive into Irish law, and will extend the scope of existing laws to provide protections for volunteers, shareholders, boar

Six people have been appointed to the board of the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC), allowing it to resume functioning. Virginija Petrauskaite, a solicitor with the Irish Refugee Council, has joined the board alongside George Maybury, Stephen Driver, Sinead Gogan, Barry O'Brien and Brendan McGin

Two directors at Cleaver Fulton Rankin have been shortlisted at the Women in Business NI Awards 2022. Kerry McCloy, innovating and legal technology director, has been shortlisted for the 'Outstanding Innovation' award, which recognises an individual that has used entrepreneurial flair and innovation

Proposals to reform the compensation scheme for victims of violent crime and place it on a statutory basis have been put out for consultation by the Law Reform Commission. The consultation paper, published today, examines the nature of awards of criminal injuries compensation; who is eligible to rec

A lawyer has been fined after he said female barristers were “hysterical” and “overemotional”. Feliks Kwiatkowski, 66, who called to the bar in 1977, was fined £500 and reprimanded.

Jurors in a high-profile criminal case in Quebec have been supplied with cannabis to pass the time until they reach a verdict. The jury has been sequestered while considering kidnapping charges brought against a local businessman. The jurors are staying in a hotel and will not be allowed to return h

Insurance risk and commercial law firm BLM is expected to hike NQ pay across the UK, according to reports. The firm, which has offices in Belfast and Dublin, currently offers newly-qualified solicitors a starting salary of £45,000 (roughly €53,400) in London and £32,000 (€38,00

Justice minister Helen McEntee is to be asked why the Courts Service enjoys a private parking arrangement outside Cork’s circuit courthouse building, the Irish Examiner reports. The development follows a debate over the arrangement that arose after bollards were installed to protect the parkin

The Legal Services Regulatory Authority (LSRA) has launched an online survey for recently qualified solicitors and barristers who are currently not practising. The LSRA is seeking the views of individuals who have qualified as a barrister or solicitor in or after 2014 by completing professional trai

The House of Lords International Agreements Committee has today written to the Foreign Secretary, Liz Truss, with concerns about the government’s dismissive response to its Working Practices: one year on report. In the letter, published today, the committee calls on the government to rethink i

Caoilfhionn Gallagher QC, of Doughty Street Chambers, has confirmed that she will act with a team of international lawyers as international counsel to renowned media entrepreneur, pro-democracy campaigner, and writer, Jimmy Lai. Mr Lai, through his media companies and his writings, is a high-profile

Former Law Society of Northern Ireland president W. Alan Logan has passed away. Mr Logan was admitted to the roll in 1957.

Tughans has been named Northern Ireland’s most active corporate law firm, as it topped the Northern Ireland league table in the Experian MarketIQ M&A review for a seventh year in a row. The Belfast-based law firm advised on 73 deals during 2021 with an overall value of more than &poun

The Irish M&A market recorded 240 significant transactions in 2021, a 33 per cent rise on 2020 and the highest deal volume since 2006. The William Fry M&A Review 2021, in association with Mergermarket, also found that total M&A value recovered significantly, rising by 185 per cent to &eu