News

Dozens of court buildings that were marked for closure will remain open after the UK government backtracked on a cost-cutting plan to sell 77 premises, The Times reports. Last September, court officials said they expected to sell the buildings by 2026.

Scotland is becoming a state in which the population is forced to conform to the vision and values of the ruling elite, a new book argues. In The Justice Factory: Can the Rule of Law Survive in 21st Century Scotland?, author Ian Mitchell suggests that the country is on the road to becoming an author

A mayor who flew off on holiday by private jet urged residents to stay at home – in a video recorded from a beach resort. Steve Adler, leader of Austin, Texas, has become the latest politician to be accused of Covid-19 hypocrisy. He went to Mexico after telling people to stay indoors amid risi

The Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has found that the fact that the Minister for Justice in Iceland selected a judge for appointment, in favour of candidates shortlisted by an independent evaluation panel, without providing sufficient reasons, meant that the judicial app

ByrneWallace has announced the appointment of 16 new associates and senior associates within the firm. The internal appointments span a number of key practice areas including banking and finance, employment law, corporate, litigation, property, construction and health services, with a third of those

The government has announced plans to strengthen the prevention and prosecution of white-collar crime following a review headed by James Hamilton, a former director of public prosecutions. Mr Hamilton, who was Ireland's top prosecutor from 1999 to 2011, was appointed in 2017 to head a working group

Work has recommenced on drafting a defamation reform bill for Northern Ireland, but it is unlikely to be debated until after the next Stormont elections. There have been prominent class for defamation reform in Northern Ireland since the Defamation Act 2013 overhauled the defamation regime in Englan

Proposed legislation to allow children who were born in Ireland and have lived in the State for three years to be considered for Irish citizenship may receive government backing. Labour Senator Ivana Bacik, a qualified barrister and legal academic, introduced the Irish Nationality and Citizenship (N

A transgender woman has brought judicial review proceedings arguing that the requirement to have a medical diagnosis in order to obtain a gender recognition certificate (GRC) breaches her human rights. Solicitor Ciarán Moynagh of Phoenix Law is representing the anonymous woman in the proceedi

The government has published a consultation draft of Ireland's first state report under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which was ratified by the State in 2018. The report describes how each article of the Convention is being implemented in Ireland and notes significant

Geraldine McGahey, chief commission of the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland, notes the continued importance of the landmark Disability Discrimination Act 1995. Today marks International Day of Persons with Disabilities – a day dedicated to promote full and equal participation of people

A&L Goodbody has been named the Irish law firm of the year at The Lawyer European Awards 2020, besting finalists Arthur Cox, Mason Hayes & Curran LLP and William Fry. The annual awards, which took place virtually on Monday, recognise and celebrate excellence across the European legal market

Home Secretary Priti Patel has attacked lawyers for protecting “murderers and rapists” after 30 criminals were removed from a flight deporting them to Jamaica following a legal challenge. The flight would have seen 50 criminals deported but this figure was reduced to 20 following legal i

Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy and other Muppets were listed to appear in court on criminal charges in an apparent mistake by courts staff. At least three Crown Courts in England listed various Muppets as well as cartoon and fairy tale characters in official court listings.

The High Court has granted a divorce and made a number of orders in relation to a family home, commenting that an abuse of privilege may have costs implications. Background