Coronavirus

A coroner has held a preliminary hearing by conference call in a Northern Ireland first. According to the Belfast Telegraph, the hearing marks the first time that legal proceedings in Northern Ireland have been conducted by phone rather than video-conferencing.

A new service to support solicitor practices during the coronavirus crisis has been launched by the Law Society of Ireland. The new Crisis Practice Support service has been designed to deliver relevant, practical supports to help solicitors remain operational to ensure they can continue providing es

In-house lawyers and HR professionals are optimistic about the re-opening of workplaces by September 2020, according to a new survey conducted by Mason Hayes & Curran (MHC). The business law firm surveyed around 300 participants in a recent webinar on the employment law and health and safety iss

Two jury trials will resume at the Old Bailey this week as Crown Court cases restart, the Law Gazette reports. The criminal bar has warned, however, that normal service "remains weeks off".

Hearings on breach of access and breach of maintenance for separated parents are expected to be treated as urgent matters by the District Court. Judge Colin Daly, president of the District Court, will make an announcement on the matter within the next day, according to RTÉ.

The Bar of Ireland has pushed back against reports that it is considering proposals to expand the use of non-jury trials during the COVID-19 crisis. A report in The Irish Times, citing an anonymous barrister said to be involved in the process, said the Bar Council is currently "researching the idea"

Eversheds Sutherland partner Matthew Howse and principal associate Damian McElholm consider the economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. As each day passes, the economic challenges presented by COVID-19 are further illuminated. With the jobs retention scheme portal now open for applications,

More remote hearings should take place in the High Court as "a way of tiding us over until we get back to physical hearings", a senior judge has said. Mr Justice David Barniville, a High Court judge and president of the Association of Judges of Ireland (AJI), told The Irish Times that the technology

There will not be "catastrophic" delays in the Court of Appeal due to the coronavirus pandemic, Mr Justice George Birmingham has said. The president of the court told The Irish Times that the court is "trying to ... keep the slippage to a minimum", in part by working on reserved judgments.

The requirement to hold a public event as part of the pre-application process for major planning applications has been temporarily removed for five months. The changes, which came into effect via legislation on Friday 1 May, have been made to allow the planning system to continue functioning during

Coroners in Northern Ireland should be allowed to investigate whether failures in the provision of personal protective equipment (PPE) have led to deaths, KRW LAW LLP has said. The Belfast-based human rights firm has written to the presiding coroner for Northern Ireland, Mrs Justice Siobhan Keegan,

Jury trials could resume in England and Wales next month as the UK government comes under pressure from a growing backlog of cases to explore measures including a reduction in jurors. Justice Secretary Robert Buckland QC yesterday told BBC Radio Four's Today programme that he is considering "measure

Justice ministers north and south of the border have spoken via teleconference to discuss the close co-operation between An Garda Síochána and the PSNI during the coronavirus pandemic. Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan and Justice Minister Naomi Long took part in the call yesterday eve

Courtroom benches are being measured to determine whether the three-judge Court of Appeal can physically sit again while maintaining social distancing. The criminal division of the three-judge court usually sits in courts 16 and 22 of the Criminal Courts of Justice (CCJ) building on Dublin’s P

Parents should feel "reassured" that the courts will consider the reasonableness of actions taken during the coronavirus pandemic when considering future child contact orders, Justice Minister Naomi Long has said. Northern Ireland's health and justice ministers today highlighted guidance from the Lo