Coronavirus

Ireland is one of only 20 countries in the world where more than 80 per cent of prisoners had received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccination by the end of September 2021, according to a new report. The first-ever in-depth review of policies and practices related to Covid-19 vaccination in pris

Legislation allowing Irish companies to hold their AGMs online during the Covid-19 pandemic has been extended to the end of April 2022. The interim period of the Companies (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Covid-19) Act 2020, which makes temporary amendments to the Companies Act 2014 and the Industrial an

The High Court has dismissed a claim brought by Foot Locker Retail Ireland Limited for declarations that it was entitled to not pay rent to its landlord between March and June 2020 when its store was closed by law. The company argued that the lease was partially frustrated by the Covid-19 restrictio

Irish law firms are beginning to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic, but two-thirds say turnover is still behind pre-Covid levels, according to new research by Smith & Williamson. The professional services company's 10th annual survey of law firms in Ireland found that most firms reported either

The Supreme Court has allowed Gemma O’Doherty and John Waters leave to bring an appeal in their challenge to the emergency lockdown measures from March 2020. However, the court only decided to hear a very narrow point of law and will not hear an appeal on the merits of the claim. The court hel

The deadline for companies filing their annual returns has been extended to 9 December 2021 in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The Companies Registration Office (CRO) said the two-week extension had been made "in light of difficulties experienced by some small accountancy firms in meeting the fil

The criminal courts are expected to experience further disruption this week as a result of Covid-19 outbreaks in the prison system. The Irish Prison Service (IPS) said on Friday that it is dealing with active outbreaks in Cloverhill and Mountjoy, while Midlands Prison has been brought under control.

Personal injury lawyers have called on the Irish government to establish a statutory compensation scheme for vaccine-related injuries. An expert group chaired by Mr Justice Charles Meenan recommended in December 2020 that the government establish a vaccine compensation scheme "as a matter of urgency

Solicitors are upbeat about the future in spite of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, a new survey commissioned by the Law Society of Ireland suggests. The business recovery survey report, based on research conducted by independent consultant Crowe between March and May 2021, found that most solic

Delayed work to establish a dedicated mental health court in Northern Ireland will not resume until at least next year and possibly later, it has emerged. Scoping work on the pilot mental health court was "paused due to the Covid-19 pandemic", justice minister Naomi Long said earlier this month.

Most companies are still planning to return to the office in spite of the Delta variant, according to a survey by Littler of in-house lawyers, HR officials and business leaders across Europe. The employment and labour law practice has released its fourth annual European employer survey report, compl

Northern Ireland's High Court has denied leave for judicial review to an applicant who believed that being forced to rely on in-patient mental health treatments violated his rights under Articles 2 and 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The court held that systems in place to provide ment

Work to establish specialist mental health and domestic violence courts in Northern Ireland has been delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic, justice minister Naomi Long has said. Mrs Long said scoping work on the pilot mental health court had been "paused due to the Covid-19 pandemic and refocusing of res

Legal rights group FLAC has warned in a new report of consumer over-indebtedness becoming a long-term problem in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. The third of four papers in FLAC's From Pillar to Post series examines issues arising in new and existing consumer debt cases following the pandemic, ba

Around 7,500 defendants in Northern Ireland were waiting for their first court hearing at the start of October, according to new figures. Justice minister Naomi Long said the figure "is consistent with levels noted prior to the pandemic", when the number stood at around 7,200 defendants.