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Campaigners for a public inquiry into the abuse carried out by former surgeon Michael Shine have welcomed a government decision to establish a scoping exercise. To date, more than 390 men have made allegations of abuse against the now disgraced doctor, who has served a prison sentence for sexually a

Magna Carta provides justification for restricting jury trials to only the most serious offences, a UK cabinet minister has claimed, prompting accusations that Labour is “selectively quoting” the charter to defend sweeping proposed reforms. Darren Jones, the chief secretary to the prime

Legislative plans to widen access to increased payments under the grant scheme for owners of homes affected by defective concrete blocks have been approved by ministers. The Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks (Amendment) Bill 2025 will widen the group of re

Northern Ireland's all-party group on access to justice has put a spotlight on children and young people in the criminal justice system. Eoghan McKenna, chair of the Law Society of Northern Ireland's criminal law committee, was among experts contributing to this week's discussion.

An assault on the independence of the judiciary in Pakistan has been condemned by the International Bar Association. At the core of the country's new 27th constitutional amendment is the creation of a permanent Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) under the newly inserted Part VII of Pakistan’s

A private member's bill bringing Ireland "into line with the rest of Europe" by introducing new rights for disabled people has been approved by the Seanad. The Disability (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023 tabled by Tom Clonan and Seanad Independent Group senators passed report and final stages in

A man who sued for the right to a personalised licence plate reading "GAY" has finally received it. Ohio man William Saki took legal action against the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) after he was told the word "gay" had been banned on custom plates since 1996.

Sweeping changes to Ireland's migration and asylum system have been set out by the government, including significant new restrictions on family reunification rights and citizenship applications. Most of the changes announced today concern refugees and asylum seekers, though controversial changes to

The Law Society of Northern Ireland has welcomed 13 new members to its ruling Council following an election which saw a significant increase in turnout. The body that represents and regulates more than 3,000 practising solicitors reported a turnout of 28.2 per cent in the election, up from 17.8 per

Ireland has been highly ranked in a new report for its implementation of judgments of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) and the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). The report, produced by Democracy Reporting International in collaboration with the European Implementation Network

UK law firm TLT has appointed corporate lawyer Michael Hamill as a partner in the firm's Belfast office. Mr Hamill joins TLT from Pinsent Masons, having led that firm's corporate team in Belfast.

The Decision Support Service (DSS) has set out a new procedure for urgently creating or registering an enduring power of attorney (EPA). Under the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015, all EPAs must be registered with the DSS before they take legal effect.

Major curbs on the ancient right to be tried by a jury in England and Wales are reportedly under consideration. The UK's justice secretary, David Lammy, is weighing up proposals to guarantee the right to a jury trial only for defendants facing charges such as rape, murder, manslaughter or other offe

Trainee accountants can now more easily switch employers following an intervention by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC). Chartered Accountants Ireland (CAI) has scrapped a policy which required trainees to seek permission from their current employer before interviewing with a

A man has been arrested for allegedly dressing up as his dead mother in order to claim her pension while hiding her mummified body at home. Police in the Italian city of Mantua have released photographs of Graziella Dall’Oglio and her 56-year-old son, who used a wig and makeup to steal her ide