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Belfast-based Higgins Hollywood Deazley (HHD) Solicitors has announced the appointment of advanced solicitor advocate Sheena Mahaffey to the firm's criminal department. Ms Mahaffey, a graduate of Queen's University Belfast and Queen's University Canada, called to The Bar of Northern Ireland in 1992

A record 320 bills, including the controversial bill to reform the judicial appointments process, are expected to lapse when the Dáil is dissolved for the election next month. The majority of the bills expected to fall were introduced by backbench TDs, who had more opportunities to introduce

Irish lawyer Michael Farrell has been elected as first vice-chair of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI). Mr Farrell has represented Ireland on the Council of Europe's anti-racism monitoring body since 2011 and has been a member of its executive bureau for the last two year

Maynooth University has announced the appointment of Dr Ciara Bracken-Roche as an assistant professor of criminology. Dr Bracken-Roche's current project explores the adoption and use of drone technologies in Canada and Ireland with a specific focus on policing and public safety agencies.

Disabled people in Irish prisons face challenges in "all areas of prison life" and have poor understanding of their own legal rights, according to new research published by the Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT). The penal reform group commissioned the report, entitled Making Rights Real for Peopl

Employment law solicitor Richard Grogan of Richard Grogan & Associates examines the law on protected disclosures. The issue of what a protected disclosure is arose in case ADJ-00023777. The Adjudication Officer in this case helpfully set this out, namely the issues set out in section 5 of the Pr

Ronan Daly Jermyn partner Jennifer Cashman and solicitor Alan Devaney consider whether a recent UK employment equality decision recognising ethical veganism as a belief protected by law could be replicated in Ireland. An employment tribunal in the UK found, in the case of Casamitjana v League Agains

Global legal business DWF gave sixth form students from Belfast first-hand experience of the recruitment process by participating in a The Apprentice-style employability programme. The students from St Louise’s College in West Belfast and Boy’s Model in North Belfast were mentored in CV

Top law firms in Northern Ireland are supporting a new initiative aimed at encouraging professionals in the diaspora to make Belfast their home. The inaugural BelfastforLife expo in March has backing of businesses including Carson McDowell, Tughans, Allen & Overy, Herbert Smith Freehills and Bak

A man has asked a judge to let him resolve a dispute with his ex-wife and her lawyer through "trial by combat" with samurai swords. David Ostrom, 40, told the court that he could secure the Japanese swords within 12 weeks to allow for the trio to "resolve our disputes on the field of battle".

A girl who initially accepted a €21,000 damages assessment from the Personal Injuries Assessment Board (PIAB) for injuries sustained in a road traffic accident has been granted an order rejecting this assessment and a declaration that the PIAB can authorise legal proceedings. Finding that the i

Ireland's judge at the European Court of Human Rights has been elected as one of five section presidents. Síofra O'Leary began her two-year term as head of the court's fifth section at the start of the year.

Corporate law firm MKB Law has announced a six-figure refurbishment of its Belfast offices ahead of plans to boost its headcount by 15 per cent over the next three years. The full-service law firm currently has a team of 40 staff focusing on corporate, property, financial, debt recovery, dispute res

A prominent human rights lawyer has suggested landlords could face prosecution for requesting sexual favours in lieu of rent. Solicitor Noeline Blackwell, the chief executive of Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, claimed the practice is an offence under the Sexual Offences Act 2017, but other legal experts

The House of Lords Constitution Committee has recommended that a clause to introduce significant new ministerial powers on how courts may depart from CJEU interpretations of retained EU law should be removed from the European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill. The committee said this measure is inap