News

Employees in Ireland now have the "right to disconnect" under a new code of practice drawn up by the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC). Tánaiste and Employment Minister Leo Varadkar today announced the bringing into effect of the new code of practice as well as the beginning of a consultat

Victims of sexual offences will receive publicly-funded independent legal advice under a pilot scheme launched today. The new scheme fulfils one of the recommendations of retired Court of Appeal judge Sir John Gillen’s high-profile review of the law and procedures in serious sexual offences in

Crucial reforms to sexual offence trials have been delayed and victims of sexual offences now have to wait up to three years for a trial to commence as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. A new report from Criminal Justice Inspectorate Northern Ireland (CJINI) highlights improvements in the way sexua

Dentons is to give staff the freedom of choice over when to work from home or the office The firm's UK, Ireland and Middle East (UKIME) region is to launch a new agile working policy that will give people freedom over choosing when to work from home or the office.

Lawyers have launched a class action lawsuit against the UK government over the economic impact of the Northern Ireland Protocol. Ballymena-based haulage company Blair International and DUP MP Ian Paisley have been named as the initial claimants in the claim form lodged with the High Court in London

William Fry has been named Irish Patent Contentious Firm of the Year 2021 at the annual Managing IP Awards, held virtually this week. The award recognises William Fry's prominent position in the area of patent litigation, having acted in the majority of patent disputes before the Irish courts in rec

UCC School of Law has been recognised for its efforts to promote gender equality with a Bronze Athena SWAN Award. The department-level award was granted following a submission process involving a robust self-assessment that identified gender equality challenges and opportunities relating to staff an

Conor McGregor has failed in a legal fight with a clothing firm over sportswear that bears his name. The 31-year-old MMA fighter applied to register his name as a trademark in order to sell clothing in Europe.

New "sobriety tags" which detect whether offenders have broken drinking bans will be rolled out across England following their successful rollout in Wales last year. The legislation underpinning the use of the tags in cases of alcohol-fuelled crime came into force last May and the tags became availa

All but one of President Joe Biden's first judicial nominees are women or from ethnic minorities, in line with his commitment to diversify the bench. Mr Biden yesterday unveiled 11 nominees for the Federal Circuit, the District Court and the Superior Court for the District of Columbia, of whom nine

A wanted mafia man has been caught by police after being identified as the mystery host of a YouTube cooking show. Marc Feren Claude Biart, sought on cocaine trafficking charges since 2014, had been sharing Italian cooking tips on a channel he started with his wife.

Employment and labour law expert Professor Michael Doherty has been appointed to chair a high-level government review of Ireland's collective bargaining and industrial relations landscape. The Maynooth University academic will be joined on a working group by representatives of the Irish Congress of

Matheson has established a dedicated advisory group to support clients with environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues. Led by 12 partners, the new group – possibly the first of its kind in Ireland – is chaired by Garret Farrelly, who also leads the firm's energy, natural resource

A new chairperson will be appointed to the Labour Relations Agency (LRA) in May following a one-month extension to the current chair's term. Economy Minister Diane Dodds yesterday announced that Marie Mallon would remain in place as chair of the LRA board until 30 April 2021.

A solicitor who has called for justice reforms based on her own experience as a survivor of a violent sexual attack has met with Justice Minister Helen McEntee to discuss her recommendations. Sarah Grace was just starting her legal career as a newly-qualified solicitor with a major Dublin law firm w