News

Environment Minister Eamon Ryan has launched a consultation on Ireland's implementation of the Aarhus Convention on access to environmental information and the PRTR Protocol on publicly accessible national pollutant registers. Ireland is required to submit national implementation reports to the secr

The Edinburgh Bar Association is to strike on St Andrew's Day next week, citing the failure of the Scottish government to take Scotland's legal aid situation seriously. On Monday 30 November, Edinburgh Sheriff Court will be open for custody business. Most staff will be paid an enhanced rate for work

Dr Michael J Ryan, the Irish leader of the World Health Organisation's (WHO) global response to the Covid-19 pandemic, yesterday received the The Bar of Ireland’s annual human rights award.

Sport Ireland chief executive John Treacy is set to address lawyers at the Sports Law Bar Association's (SLBA) winter webinar next week. Mr Treacy is the keynote speaker at the free event, which will focus on innovation in anti-doping and is open to SLBA members and external sporting organisations.

The US Supreme Court has upheld challenges made by religious groups against state pandemic restrictions. The court's newest justice, Amy Coney Barrett, cast the decisive vote in a majority decision that means the state is temporarily barred from enforcing certain attendance limits on houses of worsh

Vancouver, one of the biggest cities in Canada, has become the first jurisdiction in the country to take steps towards decriminalising personal possession of drugs including heroin and cocaine. City councillors unanimously backed proposals from Mayor Kennedy Stewart to adopt a "health-focused" appro

An attempted armed robbery in Australia failed after the would-be victim pulled out a larger knife. Evoking the famous scene in the film Crocodile Dundee, café manager Johan David Cruz Arevalo scared off a knife-wielding robber.

The High Court has allowed the joinder of two parties in a patent case. Background

The new Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal has been brought into effect with the appointment of its 33 members. The tribunal, established under the Legal Services Regulation Act 2015, was expected to start its work earlier this year but was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Courts and tribunals in Northern Ireland will continue to operate during the second two-week "circuit breaker" lockdown, Justice Minister Naomi Long has said. In a statement issued before the start of increased restrictions tomorrow, Mrs Long reiterated that courts and tribunals staff, the judiciary

Over 70 signatories, representing in excess of 2,000 legal professionals, have come together to pledge free legal services for those who need it most. The "Pro Bono Pledge Ireland", a new initiative which asks the legal profession to commit to promoting access to justice by providing free legal assi

The new CEO of the Personal Injuries Assessment Board (PIAB) has said she is working with government ministers to boost the Board's powers and help to bring down insurance costs. Rosalind Carroll, who took over the role in March, told the Irish Independent that she is "passionate about getting thing

The last man sentenced to death in Northern Ireland has won a High Court battle over his right to access coroners' inquest files held in the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI). Applicant William Holden was given the death penalty following his conviction in 1973 of the murder of Privat

An Irish man leading the World Health Organisation's (WHO) global response to the Covid-19 pandemic is to receive The Bar of Ireland's annual human rights award. Dr Michael J Ryan, WHO executive director, has been nominated for the award in recognition of his tireless work and leadership in the fiel

A ban on children's outdoor sport in Northern Ireland during the Covid-19 pandemic is a "clear violation" of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, a Magherafelt lawyer has said. Stephen Atherton, director at John J McNally & Co Solicitors, has announced his intention to bring a judicial