News

Octopuses are thugs that will punch fish for no reason other than "spite", new research has found. A team led by Eduardo Sampaio, of the Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre in Lisbon, found that the cephalopods would punch fish while they were working together to find food, The Times reports.

The Court of Appeal in Northern Ireland has dismissed a company's application for judicial review of a decision to allow an appeal against an enforcement notice targeting a quarry. Coulters Hill Residents Ltd (CHR) had applied for leave to apply for judicial review of the decision of the Planning Ap

Business law firm Flynn O'Driscoll has announced the appointment of four new partners. Declan Cunningham, Claire McDermott, Cian O'Leary and John Troute, who span the firm's Dublin and Galway offices, have joined the partnership.

Public sector lawyer Claire Archbold has been appointed as honorary professor of practice in public law at Queen's University Belfast. Professor Archbold returns to the university, having been a former academic, while continuing in her role as deputy departmental solicitor for the Northern Ireland C

Legislation recognising Irish Sign Language (ISL) as one of the native languages of the State and providing for its use in legal proceedings has been commenced. The Irish Sign Language Act 2017, which was signed into law almost exactly three years ago, has been welcomed as a landmark piece of legisl

A damning report from the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland on the treatment of Black Lives Matter protesters will be raised in ongoing litigation, a human rights firm has said. Belfast-based Phoenix Law, which represents a number of those fined for participating in BLM protests in Belfast and D

A former captain in the Air Corps who suffered discrimination on the basis of her gender has been awarded €117,800 in compensation, the maximum possible. Yvonne O'Rourke was represented legally in the Workplace Relations Commission by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, who welcomed

Immigration and international protection permissions have been temporarily extended for a further two months. This is the sixth extension announced by Justice Minister Helen McEntee since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic and the third described as "final".

Physical visits to Irish prisons will be suspended from midnight tomorrow under the latest Covid-19 restrictions. All physical visits booked after 24 December 2020 have now been cancelled and families have been urged to rebook a video visit.

A new podcast hosted by a Northern Ireland immigration solicitor is aiming to reclaim the phrase "activist lawyer" in order to fight back against government attacks on the legal profession. Sarah Henry, director of immigration services at Newry-based Granite Immigration Law, launched the Activist La

Prime Minister Boris Johnson's appointment of 16 new peers runs contrary to his predecessors' promises to limit numbers in the House of Lords, Conservative peer Lord Fowler has said. Membership in the house now stands at 830, a move that the Lord Speaker said runs "smack against" the recommendations

A new exhibition has been launched by Kilmainham Gaol Museum to mark the 200th anniversary of one of the most dramatic events in the history of Kilmainham Courthouse.

Diners who leave food on their plate will be fined under a new Chinese law. New legislation designed to support a government campaign against food waste will introduce fines for diners with eyes bigger than their stomachs.

In a “rolled-up” judicial review hearing, the High Court of Justice in Northern Ireland, having granted leave, dismissed an application challenging the Director of Public Prosecution’s decision to prosecute a former soldier for the murder and wounding with intent of two men in 1972

ByrneWallace has been authorised to operate as a limited liability partnership (LLP), becoming the latest major Irish law firm to take advantage of the rules introduced over a year ago. In an email to clients last night, managing partner Feargal Brennan confirmed the firm had begun trading as an LLP