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The Bar Council of Northern Ireland has recommended following the Scottish framework on personal injury discount rate. The Department of Justice recently launched a consultation on how the discount rate or “real rate of return”, used by the courts to determine the size of personal injury

Ireland's human rights watchdog has written to Justice Minister Helen McEntee to set out ongoing concerns for the safety and well-being of people in the Direct Provision system during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sinéad Gibney, chief commissioner of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, w

Our regular round-up of deals involving Irish law firms. Submit your deals to newsdesk@irishlegal.com. Eugene F Collins has advised the management team at Irish PR company Drury Porter Novelli on its management buyout.

Margaret Cordial, litigation solicitor at Smithwick Solicitors, examines recent significant reforms to the Irish legal system. The government has signed commencement orders for the Civil Law and Criminal Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2020, which introduces significant reforms to respond to the

A human rights watchdog has published new research into how sexual history and bad character evidence is used in sexual offences trials in Scotland. The findings of the Equality and Human Rights Commission have prompted calls for an urgent review of how courts and prosecutors respond when complainan

The Irish Journal of European Law (IJEL) is seeking expressions of interest for membership for its incoming Editorial Board. The journal is dedicated to the analysis of European law and is published under the auspices of the Irish Society for European Law (ISEL).

The Solicitors Regulation Authority has issued a warning to lawyers after a report highlighted the need for firms to be vigilant when advising on investment schemes following incidents in which poor practice left people at risk of falling victim to dubious schemes. The SRA's report looked at pa

Benjamin Bestgen discusses the rights of animals in his latest jurisprudential primer. See last week's here. Britain is said to be a nation of pet lovers, with an estimated 50 per cent of British adults having a pet – dogs, cats and rabbits being the most popular. But Britain is also a nation

Dog owners in Germany will be legally required to take their pets outdoors for exercise for half an hour at least twice a day. The new draft law proposes to change animal welfare law to ensure pets are not confined to kennels all day and are given enough outdoor exercise, The Times reports.

The Supreme Court has dismissed an appeal taken by James Kenny in a long saga of litigation related to the construction of student accommodation. Background

EU law expert Professor Tobias Lock of Maynooth University Department of Law has been awarded a Jean Monnet Chair in EU law and fundamental rights. Jean Monnet Chairs, awarded through the EU's Erasmus+ programme, are teaching posts with a specialisation in EU studies for university professors.

Legislation to make "upskirting" a specific criminal offence in Northern Ireland will be brought before the Assembly early next year, Justice Minister Naomi Long has said. "Subject to Executive approval, I intend to bring forward legislative proposals to make upskirting a specific offence in a Justi

A first-of-its-kind case in Northern Ireland has highlighted a "legal lacuna" in respect of the release of offenders detained under mental health legislation, lawyers have said. Belfast-based Higgins Hollywood Deazley (HHD) Solicitors is involved in a case concerning an offender who was dealt with b

Gardaí have opened an investigation into an alleged racist attack against a PhD researcher at UCD Sutherland School of Law. A video circulated on social media appears to show Xuedan (Shelly) Xiong being pushed by a group of young men into the Royal Canal near Ashtown in Dublin.

Gareth Planck, partner at Eversheds Sutherland, looks at how lockdown has changed offices and working routines. The global pandemic has reshaped how we go about much of our lives. It has of course, also reshaped how many of us work on a day-to-day basis. Kitchen tables and spare bedrooms have become