News

Satanists have threatened to sue a US state if it pushes ahead with plans to put the words "In God We Trust" on its flag. The state of Mississippi last month agreed to replace its 120-year-old flag because it features Confederate symbols.

A terminally ill woman who was denied fast-track access to certain benefits has succeeded in a High Court challenge to the definition of "terminal illness" in Northern Ireland. In a decision handed down yesterday, Mr Justice Gerry McAlinden said the requirement for terminally ill claimants to demons

More than twice as many people received legal advice or representation from the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) last year than the year before, the rights watchdog has revealed. The commission concluded legal advice assistance for 25 clients and concluded legal representation assi

Lawyers representing the family of an 18-year-old woman who was murdered in 1988 have called for an independent investigation following today's decision not to prosecute two suspects in the case. German national Inga-Maria Hauser was touring the UK as part of an interrailing holiday when she disappe

Retired solicitor Paul Kennedy has been nominated for appointment as the Northern Ireland Assembly's new commissioner for standards. Mr Kennedy qualified as a solicitor in 1983 and spent 32 years in private practice, including 28 years as principal in his own firm.

Former police officer Judith Gillespie has been appointed for a one-year term as the new independent chair on an inter-departmental working group on Mother and Baby Homes, Magdalene laundries and historical clerical child abuse. Ms Gillespie is the third person named as chair of the troubled group,

Ronan Daly Jermyn partner Padraic Brennan and trainee solicitor Thomas McInerney review a recent High Court decision on professional negligence. A recent decision of the High Court serves as a reminder of the continuing relevance of the Supreme Court decision in Cooke v Cronin [1999] IESC 54, and th

Human trafficking laws in Northern Ireland will be updated to create a new statutory duty to assist potential victims under proposals now being put to consultation. The proposals would also relax the requirement for the Department of Justice to publish a human trafficking strategy every year, allowi

Justice Minister Helen McEntee has participated in a meeting of EU justice and home affairs ministers for the first time, which addressed issues including hate speech, asylum and migration. The meeting was held in an informal format on Monday and Tuesday and was the first meeting of EU ministers und

In part two of his primer on lie-detection, Benjamin Bestgen tells us what actually works. See part one here. Psychologist Aldert Vrij, a specialist on lies and deceit, identifies viable lie detection options which do not involve technology, torture or chemicals. Looking at lying clinically, he find

Thousands of offenders, including those convicted of sexual or violent offences, were released from prison into homelessness in England and Wales last year, jeopardising their rehabilitation. Figures show that 11,435 people were released from prison into homelessness in 2018/19, and 4,742 homeless p

The appropriate 'case weighting system' for particular judicial systems is the subject of a new report from the Council of Europe. The working group on judicial time management of the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) takes stock of the internal management system aimed at ass

A criminal defence lawyer went viral on social media after turning up to a sentencing hearing in a hazmat suit. Samuel J. Rabin Jr., an attorney in Miami, Florida, attended the court in a full hazmat suit with gloves, respirator mask and face shield.

The High Court has made orders restraining the use of the famous claddagh rings trademark pending the determination of proceedings. In related hearings heard alongside the injunction application, the court made a series of rulings related to the company that makes and sells and the famous Claddagh r

UK law firm TLT has announced the appointment of Jason Byrne, the former head of Shoosmiths in Northern Ireland, as a partner in Belfast. Mr Byrne brings almost two decades of experience in insolvency and litigation to TLT, as well as financial services compliance and regulation.