Coronavirus

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

Judicial review proceedings have been brought against the UK government for failing to have a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter on stage at its daily coronavirus briefings. Sheffield lawyer Chris Fry sent a pre-action protocol letter to the government at the end of March on behalf of an 85-yea

A furniture business has secured a High Court injunction preventing its eviction after it was unable to pay its rent as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Design Features Ltd, represented by Dublin law firm Sherwin O'Riordan, argued that the threatened eviction was not permissible under the lease

Ireland's human rights watchdog has called for "close parliamentary oversight" of emergency legislation introduced in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission issued a statement this morning following a meeting on Friday to consider the rights implications

The coronavirus pandemic makes Ireland's implementation of the new EU Copyright Directive "all the more important", a senior IP law expert has said. Dr Mark Hyland, IMRO adjunct professor of intellectual property law at the Law Society of Ireland, said creative industries "are being badly hit by the

The Government should carry out a human rights impact assessment before extending coronavirus pandemic restrictions, a coalition of rights groups has said. In a letter sent to Taoiseach Leo Varadkar this week, eight organisations say they accept that it "may be necessary" to extend restrictions beyo