Coronavirus

Tom O'Malley SC considers golfgate and calls for any backlash or punishment of public officeholders in attendance to be rational and proportionate. The backstory to what has become known as Golfgate is now well-known. The Oireachtas Golf Society held a two-day outing on 18 and 19 August at Ballyconn

Prisons in Northern Ireland will resume offender management programmes on a phased basis under a further easing of prison restrictions introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prisons will also work with their education partners to resume some class-based learning under the latest easing, which foll

DLA Piper has urged Irish employers to take a "proactive approach" to their employees' mental wellbeing as Ireland slowly begins reopening society and business. The global law firm has published a new report on mental health in the workplace, covering a range of topics including the legal aspects of

Former Chief Justice Susan Denham will lead an "unprecedented" investigation into the conduct of Mr Justice Séamus Woulfe, the newly-appointed Supreme Court judge, amid calls for him to step down. Mr Justice Woulfe, the former Attorney General, apologised on Friday for being one of more than

Mr Justice Séamus Woulfe, who was recently appointed to the Supreme Court, is facing increasing calls to quit for attending a controversial dinner which broke COVID-19 rules. The former Attorney General of Ireland apologised on Friday for being one of more than 80 people, including high-profi

The Irish prison system has had its first confirmed case of COVID-19 after a 23-year-old female remand prisoner tested positive. When the inmate arrived at the Dóchas Centre for Women in Dublin, she was required to self-isolate for 14 days and was tested for COVID-19 as part of standard proce

Mr Justice Séamus Woulfe, who was recently appointed to the Supreme Court, has apologised for attending a controversial dinner which broke COVID-19 rules. More than 80 people, including high-profile politicians and civil servants, attended the Oireachtas Golf Society dinner in spite of restri

Kildare solicitor Liam Moloney has been appointed as co-chair of the new COVID-19 litigation group within the Pan European Organisation of Personal Injury Lawyers (PEOPIL). Mr Moloney, managing partner at Moloney & Co Solicitors, joined the organisation's executive board earlier this year.

Les Allamby, chief commissioner for the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, considers how Northern Ireland is dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. How does a national human rights institution (NHRI) respond effectively to the COVID-19 pandemic when human rights and freedoms are curtailed?

Jury trials have resumed in Northern Ireland for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 crisis in March. Following physical alternations to allow jury trials to take place in line with public health guidelines, a jury trial has begun in Laganside Court in Belfast, and five more Crown Court v

Garda enforcement powers should not be reintroduced as part of the partial reinstatement of COVID-19 restrictions in Ireland, the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) has said. The civil liberties group reiterated the position it has held since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis that public he

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

Law reform can help Ireland respond to the COVID-19 crisis, the Law Reform Commission has said. In a paper presented to a recent joint conference of four neighbouring law reform bodies, the commission said the implementation of various recommendations made over the past decade could help Ireland dea

Legislation providing for a range of court reforms to meet the challenges and legal issues of the COVID-19 pandemic has been brought into effect. The Civil Law and Criminal Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2020, which was signed into law earlier this month, has been commenced with effect from toda

A prominent doctor has called for emergency legislation to close down or strip licenses from businesses in order to control the risk of COVID-19. Dr Gabriel Scally told the Irish Independent that the State must act against businesses that are aiding the spread of the virus.