The Bar Council of Ireland should be slapped with a €2 million bill and asked to pay market rent for the continued use of the Law Library building at the Four Courts or be evicted to make way for a family courts complex, a barrister has said. Eugenie Houston, a practising barrister "who is inde
Family Law
The Law Society of Ireland's family and child law committee has updated its guidance on issues arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. The updated version of the guidance, which was first published in March, is now available from the Law Society website.
Concerns that parents could secretly record remote childcare hearings "must be weighed against the importance of cases continuing to be heard", a leading family lawyer has said. Speaking to Irish Legal News, solicitor Keith Walsh said he accepted that virtual hearings in the District Court "present
The High Court has refused the return of a child pursuant to Hague Convention on the grounds that it would place the child in an intolerable situation. Background
Family lawyer Keith Walsh has set out practical tips for solicitors attending remote hearings. The Dublin solicitor has been involved in a number of remote hearings, including some of the first divorce cases heard remotely in Dublin Circuit Court.
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.
Concerns have been raised over the fairness of remote hearings in family cases, introduced during the lockdown, because of the difficulty for participants in reading each other's reactions. A rapid consultation carried out by the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory (NFJO) on the effectiveness of rem
Same-sex female couples will be recognised as the co-parents of children born through donor-assisted human reproduction under a legal framework finally brought into force. Health Minister Simon Harris yesterday confirmed that Part 2 and 3 of the related regulations in the Children and Family Relatio
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
Remote hearings should be introduced for family law cases that do not require cross-examination of witnesses, a prominent family lawyer has said. The president of the Circuit Court announced this week that all family law matters listed during the Easter term will be adjourned to a later date.
Children are allowed to move between parents' homes during the coronavirus pandemic to comply with access orders, according to new guidance for lawyers. The Law Society of Ireland, The Bar of Ireland and the Family Lawyers' Association yesterday jointly launched updated guidelines for access during
Cocaine use is "rampant" in cases coming before the family courts in Dublin, a solicitor has said. Family lawyer Sandra McAleer said cocaine is no longer a "rich man's drug" and is increasingly playing a role in domestic violence cases in particular.
Family lawyer Sarah Elliott of Worthingtons Solicitors examines the law when unmarried families break up. With Boris Johnson and his partner, Carrie Symonds becoming the first unmarried couple to enter 10 Downing Street, this reflects a growing trend, with cohabiting families becoming the fastest gr
Controversial legislative plans to give adopted people access to their birth records have been dropped due to a failure to reach agreement with stakeholders. In a statement, Children's Minister Dr Katherine Zappone said the decision was taken following a period of "intensive briefings and consultati
A new coalition of legal bodies, charities and NGOs has launched a campaign calling on the Government to immediately allocate the funding necessary to develop a dedicated family law courts complex at the Hammond Lane site. The "Courting Disaster" campaign involves the Law Society of Ireland, The Bar