Opinion

Jason O'Sullivan, solicitor and public affairs consultant at J.O.S Solicitors, sets out some tips for employers as public health restrictions begin to ease. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar’s announcement last week that the Cabinet has approved plans to accelerate Ireland’s exit from current lockd

Predictive policing is no longer just science fiction, as Benjamin Bestgen explains. See his last jurisprudential primer here. Philip K. Dick’s Minority Report is a short story probably better known through its movie adaptation: three mutants with the ability to foresee crimes before they happ

Graham Ogilvy enjoys a new presentation of the famous denouement of demagogue Joe McCarthy at the hands of Boston lawyer Joseph N Welch. It is an epic moment in American legal history that played out live on US television – and now new light is shed on the withering exchanges between veteran B

Eoin Brereton, partner at Philip Lee, considers new guidance on directors' duties during COVID-19. On 4 June 2020 the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement (ODCE) issued welcome guidance for directors of companies that ultimately become insolvent because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This guid

Katie McAuliffe, senior associate at Mason Hayes & Curran, explores the impact of COVID-19 on healthcare litigation. COVID-19 has placed the world in virtual lockdown. In an effort to mitigate the spread of the virus, the Irish government introduced travel restrictions limiting travel to essenti

Ronan Daly Jermyn partner Brian Hunt and solicitor Michael Quinlan take a look at the ambitious plans for legislative reforms in the insurance sector. Fuelled by cycle of rising and falling insurance premiums, the high level of personal injury awards, and a series of high-profile successes against f

Dorit McCann, partner at Beauchamps, considers whether firms emerging from the COVID-19 crisis with access to financing can use the "failing firm defence" to justify acquisitions of competitive businesses. COVID-19 has turned our world upside down but, while it presents great challenges to many busi

Colin Russell, trainee solicitor at William Fry, considers a recent European Court of Justice ruling that copyright protection can apply to a product's shape. In a case concerning the Brompton folding bicycle, a Belgian court sought a preliminary ruling from the European Court of Justice (ECJ) on wh

Employment law solicitor Richard Grogan of Richard Grogan & Associates examines a recent case concerning disability discrimination at work. The issue of what constitutes a disability for the purposes of the Employment Equality Act 1998 as amended was addressed in some detail in case ADJ-000

Benjamin Bestgen gives readers an introduction to feminist legal philosophy in his latest primer. See his last one here. It might not surprise readers that the majority of philosophical and legal works (including laws) over the course of human history to date were created by men. The reasons for thi

Cathy Colton, partner at Carson McDowell, considers the legal pitfalls for businesses considering changes to licensed premises following the easing of COVID-19 restrictions. Businesses across the hospitality and leisure industry here are understandably keen to plan ahead for reopening following the

Jason O'Sullivan, solicitor and public affairs consultant at J.O.S Solicitors, offers a practical guide to Irish businesses on steps to take in preparation for the coronavirus crisis. As the COVID-19 crisis continues, albeit with easing of current restrictions, disruption is still present in every s

William Fry trainee solicitor Karolina Rozhnova considers a recent case in which Twitter was ordered by the High Court to disclose information about a parody account. The High Court has ordered Twitter to disclose information about the identity of creators and controllers of a parody account using t

Having thought about truth, Benjamin Bestgen now considers lies. See his last jurisprudential primer here. In Gulliver’s Travels, Jonathan Swift lets Captain Gulliver explain to the Houyhnhnms, a race of highly intelligent horses dedicated to reason and truth, that lawyers are: intrinsically c

Ronan Daly Jermyn solicitor Hilda Mannix, partner Darryl Broderick and trainee Chris Murray consider the strategies lenders and loan purchasers should consider when met with allegations of fraud as a defence in enforcement proceedings. Lenders and loan purchasers may find themselves faced with an al