FLAC has recognised dozens of volunteers and human rights defenders with its annual Golden Pin awards. The awards are presented every year as part of FLAC's annual justice lecture, delivered last week by renowned human rights lawyer and academic Professor Colm Ó Cinnéide.
Latest Articles
Appointments
See all articlesNorthern Ireland firm Tughans has expanded its real estate team with the appointment of Catriona Sharkey as of counsel. Ms Sharkey joins Tughans from Sheehan in Dublin, bringing more than 15 years’ specialist experience advising on a broad range of commercial property matters across both
Ann Lalor has been appointed as group general counsel at Bank of Ireland. Ms Lalor will join Bank of Ireland in 2026 from multinational law firm Pinsent Masons, where she is currently partner and head of the Dublin office.
Global law firm Baker McKenzie has appointed Helena Woodward as executive director of its centre in Belfast. The firm's Belfast centre provides business and professional services support to its clients and offices around the world. Established in 2014, it now employs around 500 people.
RDJ LLP managing partner Jamie Olden has been appointed as a lay member to the governing body of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (RCPI). The RCPI Council sets the College’s mission, vision, and strategic direction, approves general policies, and ensures accountability by monitoring
Byrne Wallace Shields LLP has recruited Kevin Harnett as partner in the firm's construction law practice. Mr Harnett has 20 years’ experience advising on all aspects of construction law, encompassing both transactional and contentious matters.
Retired barrister Edmund Carrol has been appointed as chairperson of the Forestry Appeals Committee (FAC). Mr Carrol has taken over the role from Séamus Neely and will serve until 31 October 2028.
Northern Ireland
See all articlesNorthern Ireland’s Court of Appeal has allowed an appeal against a decision of the Parole Commissioners for Northern Ireland to direct the release of a prisoner on licence. Delivering judgment for the Court of Appeal of Northern Ireland, Mr Justice Adrian Colton explained: “What is not l
Northern Ireland's Pro Bono Choir has raised £8,000 for charity at its annual carol service in Belfast. Senior legal and judicial figures were in attendance for the service on Tuesday 9 December at the Good Shepherd Church, Belfast, held under the musical direction of Sheelagh Greer, accompani
Northern Ireland firm Tughans has expanded its real estate team with the appointment of Catriona Sharkey as of counsel. Ms Sharkey joins Tughans from Sheehan in Dublin, bringing more than 15 years’ specialist experience advising on a broad range of commercial property matters across both
Global law firm Baker McKenzie has appointed Helena Woodward as executive director of its centre in Belfast. The firm's Belfast centre provides business and professional services support to its clients and offices around the world. Established in 2014, it now employs around 500 people.
A former internee's conviction for escaping lawful custody could be quashed by Northern Ireland's Court of Appeal due to doubts about the authenticity of a government minister's purported signature. Henry O'Rawe, who died in 2010, was convicted more than 50 years ago, on 25 March 1975, at Belfast Ci
Universities
See all articlesA pair of aspiring lawyers have been awarded the Gateley Legal Northern Ireland prize by Queen’s University Belfast’s School of Law. Students Robin Clarke and Tara McFeely split this year’s award, which is given to the student from the Masters in Law course who scored the highest o
A legally comprehensive study of Lord MacDermott, former law lord and Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland, has been published for the first time. Lord MacDermott was first appointed to the bench in 1944 and retired from Northern Ireland's top judicial post in 1971, though continued to sit in vari
Irish human rights activist Brian Dooley has been recognised with the University of Oslo's annual human rights award. Mr Dooley, a senior advisor to Washington DC-based NGO Human Rights First, was named winner in September and this month travelled to Oslo to collect the award.
Children's ombudsman Dr Niall Muldoon has been awarded an honorary doctor from University College Dublin. A clinical psychologist from Donegal with nearly 20 years’ experience in child protection, Dr Muldoon holds a PhD from the UCD School of Psychology, where his research focused on psychothe
Research projects on prisoner experiences and AI-assisted judicial decision-making at Trinity College Dublin have secured prestigious EU funding grants worth up to €2 million over five years. Professor Mary Rogan and Dr Brian Barry in the School of Law are among three Trinity researchers who ha
Interviews
See all articlesAdam Synnott has the felicitous capacity to combine brisk efficiency with engaging affability. It’s a useful admixture that undoubtedly facilitates his career at EY Law Ireland, a stand-alone, regulated law firm which forms part of the global EY network. Mr Synnott, partner and head of corpora
The word that regularly recurs in Constance Cassidy’s vocabulary is “busy”. Often augmented to “busy, busy, busy”. It’s hardly surprising. The senior counsel’s day has begun some five hours before our mid-morning interview and the number of appointments in h
Colin Cardwell
October is European Cybersecurity Month (ECSM), the EU's annual campaign dedicated to promoting cybersecurity among its citizens and organisations, and to providing current online security information. Ironically, it has coincided with Amazon Web Services (AWS) experiencing a recent major outage in
Colin Cardwell
The view from Andrew McGahey’s home office south of Navan in Co Meath is an idyllic one. The vista of tranquillity that takes in the Hill of Tara and the River Boyne ends here, though — the EMEA managing partner of Kennedys Law LLP is responsible for seven offices, where daily life is di
Colin Cardwell
The quest for knowledge has advanced beyond imagination in the millennia since Plato and Aristotle first proposed their theories of epistemology. For legal firms at the leading edge of meeting today’s exacting demands, ‘knowledge’ now involves a multitude of practical applications,
Colin Cardwell






