Coronavirus

Barristers in Northern Ireland have reportedly been told that the size of juries in criminal cases could be reduced from 12 to nine or seven members to help clear the COVID-19 backlog. The Office of the Lord Chief Justice, the Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service, The Bar of Northern Irelan

People attending the courts have been asked to wear face coverings by the most senior judges in Ireland. The direction was given by the president of the Court of Appeal today, and follows a similar direction to politicians using Leinster House and the Convention Centre yesterday in an attempt to sto

Legislation to protect renters will be considered by government ministers on Thursday following the final extension of the COVID-19 rent freeze and eviction moratorium. The Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (Covid-19) Act 2020 prohibits rent increases and evictions during the "emergency peri

The number of property transactions in Northern Ireland has started to bounce back following the reopening of the housing market last month. There were 1,320 property transactions in Northern Ireland in June 2020, up from 540 in May and 410 in April, according to new HMRC figures.

Prison authorities have warned prisoners' families that their loved ones could overdose on drugs smuggled into prison after months of COVID-19 restrictions. In its new family information booklet, the Irish Prison Service (IPS) warns that drug overdose "is now the main threat facing your loved ones i

The backlog of criminal trials which has built up during the COVID-19 crisis totals roughly half of the number of cases typically heard in a year, according to reports. Chief Justice Frank Clarke announced last week that criminal jury trials are set to resume in the Central Criminal Court this month

The UK government has named the 10 sites which will host so-called "Nightingale courts" to alleviate the pressure on courts and tribunals resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. The sites including Middlesbrough Town Hall, the Knights’ Chamber within the grounds of Peterborough Cathedral, and th

The rent freeze and eviction moratorium introduced in response to the COVID-19 crisis is set to be extended again, ministers have said. The Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (Covid-19) Act 2020 prohibits rent increases and evictions during the "emergency period", which is currently due to en

Immigration permissions have been extended for a third and final time in response to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. Permissions due to expire between 20 July and 20 August 2020 are set to be automatically extended for one month, including for people in Ireland on short stay visas and those whose permi

Personal injury cases have restarted at the High Court following a four-month absence as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The backlog of cases that has accrued since mid-March is believed to be 300, the Irish Examiner reports.

Criminal jury trials are set to resume in the Central Criminal Court later this month and in Circuit Courts by late August as the courts aim to increase the number of hearings following the COVID-19 crisis, Chief Justice Frank Clarke has announced. In a statement issued over the weekend, Ireland's t

Global law firm Dentons will not open its new Dublin office until September as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The firm announced its expansion into Ireland in January with the appointment of two partners from William Fry and Matheson.

The visa waiver programme allowing people visiting the UK on short stay visas to travel to Ireland has been temporarily suspended because of a "divergence in approach" to the COVID-19 pandemic. The measure, announced today by Justice Minister Helen McEntee, will affect nationals from 17 countries, i

More than 70 legal, campaigning and civil society organisations are calling for an urgent public inquiry into the UK government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. Between 43,000 and 65,000 people have died in the UK so far as a result of coronavirus - the figure represents one of the high

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has granted full sick pay to outsourced staff with COVID-19 symptoms, three months after the death of one of its cleaners. Outsourced cleaners who have already self-isolated due to COVID-19 symptoms will also receive a back payment from 1 April 2020.