Brexit

The Covid-19 pandemic and the subsiding of the "Brexit effect" led to a slowing in the number of solicitors and barristers admitted to practise last year, according to the Legal Services Regulatory Authority (LSRA). The latest figures from the legal watchdog show that 906 solicitors and 167 barriste

The UK government has set out plans for a new post-Brexit subsidy control system that will allow public authorities – including the devolved administrations – to provide direct support to businesses in line with strategic goals. The Subsidy Control Bill, introduced to Westminster today,

Professor Colin Harvey of Queen's University Belfast School of Law considers the post-Brexit challenges for Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland has always been, and remains, a ‘special arrangement’. The changes in the leadership of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) do not alter the basi

Eugene F Collins partner Paul Dempsey and associate Rachel Solanki consider what options creditors have in the aftermath of Brexit in enforcing a judgement handed down by a UK court in Ireland or vice versa. The UK is one of Ireland’s largest trading partners with Irish exports to Britain tota

The UK government has reportedly told the European Commission that it has unilaterally breached the Northern Ireland Protocol because of circumstances beyond its control. In a 20-page letter in response to EU legal proceedings, the UK has suggested that it will rely on force majeure to explain its i

The Court of Appeal in Belfast has reserved judgment on whether a judicial review alleging Prime Minister Boris Johnson acted in bad faith by signing the Brexit deal should be heard. An anonymous litigant is appealing a decision by the senior judicial review judge not to adjudicate on whether the Pr

A legal challenge brought by unionist politician Jim Allister against the Northern Ireland Protocol will be heard by the High Court in Belfast next month. Mr Allister, leader of the Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) party, has instructed lawyers to challenge the Protocol on the basis that it breaches

The Law Society of Ireland has announced it has reached a reciprocal qualifying agreement with the Solicitors Regulation Authority in England and Wales. A slightly more complex agreement, involving a reciprocal exam, has also been reached with the Law Society of Scotland.

Lawyers have launched a class action lawsuit against the UK government over the economic impact of the Northern Ireland Protocol. Ballymena-based haulage company Blair International and DUP MP Ian Paisley have been named as the initial claimants in the claim form lodged with the High Court in London

A unionist who believes the Northern Ireland Protocol has "weakened the Union" has launched a judicial review seeking a declaration that the operation of the protocol is unconstitutional and unlawful. Belfast man Clifford Peeples instructed a solicitor last week and issued judicial review proceeding

A victims' rights campaigner is taking the European Commission to court over its short-lived threat to invoke Article 16 during the EU vaccine crisis. Solicitor Ciaran O'Hare of Belfast firm McIvor Farrell Solicitors has been instructed to bring a judicial review to the General Court of the European

The European Commission is expected to decide this week that data protection standards are high enough in the UK to allow personal data transfers between the UK and the EU to continue. The adequacy assessment has huge significance for businesses operating across the UK and the EU. It has attracted e

Eugene F Collins partner Paul Dempsey and solicitor Niamh O'Brien highlight the options available when serving legal proceedings on a party based in the UK. The United Kingdom’s official departure from the European Union has had a significant effect on cross border civil and commercial litigat

The presidents of the UK's three law societies will set out their ongoing response to Brexit at an event early next month. The briefing has been organised by the UK Law Societies' Joint Brussels Office and will explore the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement and what this means for UK qualified so

A border citizen in Northern Ireland has appealed to the Court of Appeal against a decision to refuse leave for a full hearing by way of judicial review before the High Court in Belfast. The applicant is appealing a decision by the senior judicial review judge not to adjudicate on whether the Prime