News

The Bar of Northern Ireland has reaffirmed its commitment to the maintenance of the rule of law in a short statement issued in the wake of the UK government's U-turn on Brexit. Earlier this week, Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis told MPs that provisions in the Internal Market Bill would "bre

New adult safeguarding legislation to help protect care home residents and other vulnerable members of society is set to be brought to Stormont under plans announced yesterday. Health Minister Robin Swann pledged to bring forward the new Adult Safeguarding Bill in response to the first report&n

A coalition of 80 academics has called on the government to repeal a law criminalising the purchase of sex in Ireland as soon as possible in order to protect sex workers from violence. In a joint submission to the Department of Justice's ongoing review of Part 4 of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences)

Arthur Cox has been named the best Irish law firm at this year's Women in Business Law Awards Europe. Partners Maura McLaughlin and Deirdre O'Mahony won individual recognition alongside three other accolades for the firm at yesterday's virtual awards ceremony.

James Meighan from Eugene F Collins discusses the Withdrawal Agreement and the effect on cross-border litigation. On 27 August 2020, the European Commission published a notice to stakeholders on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union and rules in the area of civil justice and p

Peter Bolger and Robert Haniver from LK Shields write about new rules which will update gaming and gambling control legislation. The Gaming and Lotteries (Amendment) Act 2019 (2019 Act) was signed into law on 21 December 2019 and will come into operation from 1 December 2020. This is an interim refo

The criminal justice system in the UK has handled the COVID-19 crisis worse than countries like South Korea and Spain where more resources are made available, a sitting judge has said. Judge Keith Raynor, who sits in Woolwich Crown Court, sharply criticised the UK government's handling of the pandem

A Florida man who fled from a large alligator in his storage shed was left embarrassed after police discovered it was a swimming pool inflatable. The man had gone into his shed to fetch boxes but was startled by the large inflatable and told his wife to call the police.

The High Court, sitting qua the Central Criminal Court (as the court of re-trial), has certified that a man is entitled to compensation for wrongful conviction. The man had been acquitted of murder but a newly-discovered fact revealed that there had been a miscarriage of justice.

The Lord Chief Justice, Sir Declan Morgan, has warned that the UK government's declared plan to break international law may undermine trust in the government and the administration of justice. Northern Ireland's top judge was sharply critical of government ministers in an interview due to be br

Human rights lawyer Noeline Blackwell, who heads Dublin Rape Crisis Centre (DRCC), has been appointed to the governing body of University College Dublin (UCD) in the wake of a sexual harassment scandal. Ms Blackwell's appointment was announced by Higher Education Minister Simon Harris

Ireland's national DNA database assisted in over 1,000 criminal cases last year, according to the latest annual report from Forensic Science Ireland (FSI). The database, which was established in 2015, contained 27,565 DNA profiles at the end of 2019, a dramatic 53 per cent increase from 17,994 in th

Mr Justice Séamus Woulfe has met former Chief Justice Susan Denham as part of her investigation into his attendance at a controversial dinner which broke COVID-19 rules. Mr Justice Woulfe was accompanied by Michael Collins SC at the meeting, which was also attended by Shane Murphy SC, accordi

Tasers should be made more widely available to frontline PSNI officers despite the force failing to record its use of force accurately, a watchdog has said. Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) today published its report on the PSNI's treatment of its workforce and the people of N

The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission has told Oireachtas members that emergency legislation related to COVID-19 must be used only exceptionally and be subject to strict human rights standards and oversight. Chief commissioner Sinéad Gibney and commission member Sunniva McDonagh