News

Four men have been given life sentences for the murder of a man who was shot in front of his three-year-old child in Bangor in 2017. Stating that the murder had “paramilitary overtones”, Judge Adrian Colton imposed minimum tariffs of between 15 and 16 years for the men who had pleaded gu

Senators yesterday defeated a Government attempt to hurry its controversial Judicial Appointments Commission Bill through the Seanad. Senator Jerry Buttimer, leader of the Seanad, said the Government had brought forward a three-hour debate on the bill to yesterday in a bid to get it through the comm

Plans to hold a referendum this May to amend the constitutional provisions on divorce have been approved by the Government. Voters will be asked to amend article 41.3.2 of the Constitution to remove the minimum living apart period for spouses seeking a divorce, and replace article 41.3.3 with a prov

Prominent legal academic Dr Vicky Conway and solicitor Paul Mageean have been appointed to the Policing Authority. Dr Conway, an academic lawyer lecturing at DCU, returns to the Authority, having previously been a member and having also served as a member of the Commission on the Future of Policing

Pinsent Masons has celebrated being ranking in the top 10 for M&A deal volume in its first full year in the Irish market. The international law firm opened its Dublin office last year, specialising in the financial services and technology sectors.

Dublin solicitor Keith Walsh, chair of the Law Society of Ireland's child and family law committee, writes for Irish Legal News on the government's announcement of a divorce referendum in May 2019. The confirmation by Ministers Flanagan and Madigan that the referendum to reduce the waiting time for

Leading experts on coronial systems will explore the case for major reform at an event hosted by the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) next week. The civil liberties group is co-ordinating new research into the coronial system and has organised the event to draw on the expertise of people who

New research has found a link between stricter road traffic laws and a fall in child deaths on Irish roads over the past two-and-a-half decades. Researchers Dr Cliona McGarvey, Karina Hamilton, Jean Donnelly and Alf J Nicholson of Temple Street Children's University Hospital have published their fin

The requirement for a person to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that they did not commit an offence in order to access compensation for a miscarriage of justice does not breach their right to presumption of innocence, the Supreme Court has ruled. The question in the appeals was whether the definitio

A convicted rapist who was awarded damages after being assaulted while serving his prison sentence has brought a legal challenge over an alleged delay in a review by the DPP into alleged perjury by prison officers. The action has been taken by Darius Savickis, who wants the High Court to direct the

An American politician who employs hundreds of young teenagers has proposed a new law to scrap restrictions on child labour in his state. Republican Senator Chip Perfect's Senate Bill 342 would remove work permit requirements and working time restrictions for 16- and 17-year-olds in Indiana.

Permanent TSB have been granted an order discharging the purported order of the Master of the High Court to strike out a Special Summons. Stating that it beggared belief that the Master continued to make such orders despite recent decisions clearly stating that he had no jurisdiction to do so, Mr Ju

Eversheds Sutherland has announced three partner appointments across its Belfast and Dublin offices to strengthen the international law firm's Brexit advisory team. Lorcan Keenan and Enda Cullivan have joined the Dublin office, while Lisa Bryson has been promoted to partner in Belfast.

The Chief State Solicitor, Maria Browne, warned Dublin City Council that a proposed commercial development could compromise the privacy of her office and Irish national security. Ms Browne wrote to the council to object to plans lodged for a seven-storey office block on Ship Street Great and Chancer

PSNI Chief Constable George Hamilton has announced plans to retire this summer, turning down an offer for a three-year extension to his contract. Mr Hamilton, who was appointed to the top policing post in June 2014, will now leave the role at the end of June 2019.