Coronavirus

No new jury trials or physical hearings will commence in the Crown Court, the Lord Chief Justice has announced in a statement intended to "provide some clarity for the coming few days". Lord Burnett of Maldon said: "My unequivocal position is that no jury trials or other physical hearings can take p

The Royal Navy could be drafted in to help run prisons in England and Wales under contingency plans drawn up to deal with coronavirus. The unprecedented option will be available to prison bosses if too many prison officers contract COVID-19 and have to stay at home, The Times reports.

The Irish Government's emergency coronavirus bill cleared the Dáil last night without a vote. The Health (Preservation and Protection and other Emergency Measures in the Public Interest) Bill 2020 will provide for "exceptional measures, being introduced in the interest of public health and su

Ireland's housing crisis is now "an acute health crisis" for vulnerable people in homeless accommodation or overcrowded housing, the Mercy Law Resource Centre (MLRC) has warned. Welcoming plans to ban evictions and freeze rents for three months in response to the coronavirus outbreak, managing solic

David Rodgers, tax solicitor at Ronan Daly Jermyn (RDJ), explores the support payment scheme announced this week in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The Revenue Commissioners this week published details of a support payment scheme introduced as part of the response by the Government to COVID-19

The Irish Government's emergency coronavirus bill should be time-limited or include a "sunset clause", the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) has said. The Health (Preservation and Protection and other Emergency Measures in the Public Interest) Bill 2020 is due to be introduced in the Dá

There will be no further oral hearings of cases listed before the Chancery and Probate Master until further notice as a result of the coronavirus outbreak. Solicitors acting for banks and building societies have been invited to submit a written submission by email in respect of every case they have

Applications for the registration of an enduring power of attorney will not have to be personally served due to coronavirus restrictions, the president of the High Court has said. Mr Justice Peter Kelly yesterday issued a practice direction which will remain in force "until further notice".

The Courts Service of Ireland has issued updated statements regarding hearings in the High Court, Circuit Court and District Court, which is reproduced in full below. The High Court

The Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland has taken measures to reduce the number of people attending court from today. The latest update, issued yesterday evening, is reproduced in full below. The Lord Chief Justice met yesterday with representatives of the legal profession to discuss measures to

Writing for Irish Legal News, barrister Andrew McKeown explores the provisions of the Irish Government's emergency coronavirus bill. The Government has published a Bill “to make exceptional provision, in the public interest and having regard to the manifest and grave risk to human life and pub

Police and immigration officers across the UK will be given powers to detain and isolate people to protect public health under emergency measures designed to tackle the coronavirus pandemic. The Emergency Coronavirus Bill, to be introduced at Westminster on Thursday, will set out various measures wh

No new trials will commence in the Crown Court unless they are expected to last three days or less, the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Burnett of Maldon, has announced. He said: "We must make every effort to maintain a functioning court system in support of the administration of justice and rule of law."

Hundreds of textbooks have been made freely available online by Cambridge University Press (CUP) until the end of May this year. In an effort to help students amid the coronavirus outbreak, the publisher has made more than 700 textbooks free to access.

The Courts Service of Ireland has announced measures to "scale back" the numbers attending court. The latest update, issued on Friday evening, is reproduced in full below. The Courts Service has managed a very successful introduction of measures to scale back the work of the courts, which began toda