Family Law

Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan has dismissed calls for the right not to testify against one's spouse to be extended to unmarried couples, including civil partners and cohabitating couples. The Court of Appeal ruled last month unmarried partners are not amenable to the non-compellability provision

Plans to hold a referendum this May to amend the constitutional provisions on divorce have been approved by the Government. Voters will be asked to amend article 41.3.2 of the Constitution to remove the minimum living apart period for spouses seeking a divorce, and replace article 41.3.3 with a prov

Dublin solicitor Keith Walsh, chair of the Law Society of Ireland's child and family law committee, writes for Irish Legal News on the government's announcement of a divorce referendum in May 2019. The confirmation by Ministers Flanagan and Madigan that the referendum to reduce the waiting time for

The latest tranche of case reports from the Child Care Law Reporting Project (CCLRP) reveal that homelessness is leading to children being kept in care. The second volume of 2018 case reports, now available from the project's website, includes 38 cases from all parts of the State.

An Irish father-of-one who claimed that his estranged Scottish wife had unlawfully retained their daughter in Scotland after the child underwent emergency cancer treatment there has had an application for a court order for the toddler’s return to Ireland dismissed. A judge in the Court of Sess

Leading family lawyer Keith Walsh has welcomed an increase in security at Phoenix House following an incident late last year. Speaking to Irish Legal News, Mr Walsh said the increased security measures revealed today are "required for those very rare occasions when people's emotions get the better o