News

A former US death row prisoner turned campaigner against the death penalty has been named as a victim of a fatal house fire in Connemara. Sonia "Sunny" Jacobs, 77, died in the fire on Tuesday morning alongside Kevin Kelly, a man in his early 30s understood to be her carer.

A&L Goodbody carried out an average of 33 hours of pro bono work per lawyer last year, according to the firm's latest pro bono impact report. The firm undertook over 325 pro bono matters in 2024 with 375 legal professional providing over 14,000 hours of free legal advice.

Kildare-based Powderly Solicitors has expanded into Dublin with a new office in Rathmines. Established in Kilcock in 2002, the full service law firm now has offices in Kilcock, Maynooth, Rathmines, Clane and Prosperous, serving clients across Kildare, Dublin and Meath in areas including propert

Warrenpoint-based Rosemary Connolly Solicitors Limited has celebrated 30 years in business.

A solicitor who was secretly working for three law firms at the same time has been struck off. Belinda Sarkodie, a property lawyer in England, submitted timesheets for the same hours to two firms when she was also meant to be working full-time for a third firm.

Global law firm Kennedys has reported record revenue of €511 million for the most recent financial year, up by 13 per cent on the previous year. The firm saw an 11th consecutive year of growth in the financial year from 1 May 2024 to 30 April 2025, with revenue up across its regions.

Dame Vera Baird DBE KC has been appointed as interim chair of the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), the body which investigates potential miscarriages of justice in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The CCRC has not had a chairperson since January, when Helen Pitcher KC OBE resigned amid t

The Legal Aid Board welcomed senior legal figures including the attorney general, the justice minister and the chief justice to a two-day staff event in Dublin.

Retirement tributes were paid to Mr Justice Seamus Noonan on his final sitting day in the Court of Appeal on Friday. Mr Justice Noonan graduated from Trinity College Dublin School of Law in 1976 and called to the bar in 1977.

HOMS Assist has promoted Áine McSweeney to of counsel and Cliodhna Finnin to senior solicitor. Ms McSweeney has been a member of the firm since 2004, specialising in personal injury law, medical negligence, product liability, and catastrophic injuries.

Senior Irish legal figures have met with Lord Hermer KC, the attorney general for England and Wales, on his recent visit to Dublin. Ireland's attorney general, Rossa Fanning SC, is said to have spoken with his English counterpart about the UK and Ireland's close geography, shared culture, and joint

Ireland's new police ombudsman has appointed Paul Mageean and John Wadham to develop its human rights framework. Fiosrú was formally established in April under the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024, replacing the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC).

More than a century after his wrongful conviction shook France and laid bare its virulent strains of antisemitism, Alfred Dreyfus may finally receive symbolic redress. French lawmakers have unanimously supported a proposal to posthumously promote the Jewish army captain to brigadier general –

Threats against US judges have surged in 2025, with more than 370 incidents in the first five months alone.

A US state has passed legislation banning weather-modifying "chemtrails", which do not exist. Scientists have long debunked conspiracy theories about chemicals being secretly dispersed in the sky using aircraft.