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Employment and family law issues dominated calls to legal rights group FLAC's information line last year as the Covid-19 pandemic took hold in Ireland. Chief Justice Frank Clarke paid tribute to FLAC this morning as he launched its 2020 annual report at a virtual event, saying "never was the work of

Solicitors have reported a surge in house completions in Northern Ireland as home-buyers take advantage of the stamp duty holiday, which will come to an end in September. Janet Williamson, director of commercial and property at O'Reilly Stewart Solicitors, said levels of completions "are at a point

Pinsent Masons has unveiled targets to cut absolute carbon emissions by a minimum of 50 per cent by 2030, as it continues to reduce its environmental impact. The firm’s targets, which are among the first law firm targets to be verified by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), commit to

Co Donegal firm Brian J McMullin Solicitors has celebrated its centenary with the opening of a new office in south Dublin, its second new office in as many years. The Ballyshannon-based firm opened an office in Leopardstown, Co Dublin in April, having opened an office in Killybegs, Co Donegal last s

Emergency protection for tenants having difficulty paying rent on commercial leases as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic has been extended for a further three months. Section 83 of the Coronavirus Act 2020 which was first applied at the end of March 2020, has been extended until 30 September 2021, g

Solicitor Lisa Collins has been appointed to Cancer Fund for Children's Irish board of trustees. Ms Collins trained as a solicitor with Matheson before going on to specialise as a professional indemnity lawyer in DAC Beachcroft and later becoming a partner in BLM.

The Department for the Economy (DfE) is teaming up with local company FinTrU to offer 20 training places to graduates who wish to retrain in the legal aspect of financial services. Applications have opened for the assured skills academy, which will be delivered remotely over a five-week period by Be

A consultation is seeking views on whether the maximum penalty for injuring service animals on active duty in Northern Ireland should be increased for the second time in five years. Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Minister Edwin Poots yesterday launched a consultation on proposals to prot

Businesses could soon face a deluge of legal actions brought against them over greenhouse gas emissions due to advances in climate science, according to experts. In excess of 1,500 legal actions have already been initiated against fossil fuel companies which have played a major role in carbon emissi

A wanted man was arrested after giving police officers a fake name – which happened to be the name of another wanted man. Ernest McBride was arrested in Mexico after giving his name to police as Brian Andrews, who is wanted in Florida in connection with a fatal road traffic collision.

The High Court has allowed a judicial review application for a man who challenged the State’s entitlement to return him before the Circuit Court for offences which occurred during a suspended sentence period. The accused had previously been convicted of drugs offences and was given a three-yea

Court business has resumed in Banbridge Courthouse for the first time in five years following a £140,000 refurbishment.

A much-delayed bill to improve protections for victims of sexual offences and trafficking has won Executive approval at the last possible moment – albeit with "the removal of some important clauses". Justice Minister Naomi Long has for months sought approval from the Northern Ireland Executive

All drink driving offenders will have the opportunity to reduce their disqualification period by up to 25 per cent by completing a rehabilitation training course under a new law coming into force today. The Road Traffic (Amendment) Act (Northern Ireland) 2016 has been commenced with effect from Mond

Matheson partner Emma Doherty has been named Corporate Governance Lawyer of the Year at the Women in Business Law Awards Europe 2021. The prestigious annual awards celebrate the efforts and achievements of law firms across Europe and highlight the most impressive achievements of female lawyers acros