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Les Allamby, chief commissioner for the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, considers how Northern Ireland is dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. How does a national human rights institution (NHRI) respond effectively to the COVID-19 pandemic when human rights and freedoms are curtailed?

We are pleased to publish a complete list of trainee solicitors and barristers who won recognition this year for their work at the Institute of Professional Legal Studies (IPLS) at Queen's University Belfast. The Thomasena McKinney PrizeThis prize is awarded by the Law Society of Northern Ireland in

Judge Geoffrey Miller QC has been appointed as County Court commissioner in the Northern Ireland Judicial Appointments Commission (NIJAC). He was appointed by First Minister Arlene Foster and deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill for a five-year term until 11 August 2025.

Over 1,500 secondary school students learned legal fundamentals this summer through the Law Society of Ireland's inaugural Legal Ambitions Summer School. The four-week programme, designed for Transition and fifth year students, was launched by the Law Society's law school in July and will run again

A police officer has been rescued by firefighters after getting his hands stuck in his own handcuffs. The core training sergeant for Northamptonshire's police force, Scott Renwick, admitted in a tweet that he got stuck in the broken handcuffs and had to be rescued by the local fire service.

Jury trials have resumed in Northern Ireland for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 crisis in March. Following physical alternations to allow jury trials to take place in line with public health guidelines, a jury trial has begun in Laganside Court in Belfast, and five more Crown Court v

The UK Supreme Court has ruled that a restrictive covenant given by the developer of a Derry shopping centre in a lease that it granted to Dunnes Stores over part of the centre does not engage the doctrine of restraint of trade. Delivering the lead judgment, Lord Wilson overturned the findings of th

Garda enforcement powers should not be reintroduced as part of the partial reinstatement of COVID-19 restrictions in Ireland, the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) has said. The civil liberties group reiterated the position it has held since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis that public he

The Bar Council of Northern Ireland has recommended following the Scottish framework on personal injury discount rate. The Department of Justice recently launched a consultation on how the discount rate or “real rate of return”, used by the courts to determine the size of personal injury

Ireland's human rights watchdog has written to Justice Minister Helen McEntee to set out ongoing concerns for the safety and well-being of people in the Direct Provision system during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sinéad Gibney, chief commissioner of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, w

Our regular round-up of deals involving Irish law firms. Submit your deals to newsdesk@irishlegal.com. Eugene F Collins has advised the management team at Irish PR company Drury Porter Novelli on its management buyout.

Margaret Cordial, litigation solicitor at Smithwick Solicitors, examines recent significant reforms to the Irish legal system. The government has signed commencement orders for the Civil Law and Criminal Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2020, which introduces significant reforms to respond to the

A human rights watchdog has published new research into how sexual history and bad character evidence is used in sexual offences trials in Scotland. The findings of the Equality and Human Rights Commission have prompted calls for an urgent review of how courts and prosecutors respond when complainan

The Irish Journal of European Law (IJEL) is seeking expressions of interest for membership for its incoming Editorial Board. The journal is dedicated to the analysis of European law and is published under the auspices of the Irish Society for European Law (ISEL).

The Solicitors Regulation Authority has issued a warning to lawyers after a report highlighted the need for firms to be vigilant when advising on investment schemes following incidents in which poor practice left people at risk of falling victim to dubious schemes. The SRA's report looked at pa