New legislation is to provide the Defence Forces with new powers to safeguard Ireland’s maritime domain and protect the State’s sovereign rights in its territorial sea and exclusive economic zone. The proposed amendments to the Defence Act 1954 were agreed by ministers today.
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Appointments
See all articlesNiamh Muldoon has been named as the next chief executive of the Legal Services Regulatory Authority (LSRA). Ms Muldoon, a solicitor who has served as chief executive officer and registrar of the Veterinary Council of Ireland since 2019, will take up the role on Monday 23 March.
HOMS Assist has expanded its probate and wills department with the appointment of Olga Sandys as solicitor and Bronagh Gennery as probate administrator. The announcement follows the firm's recent promotion of Claire Tuohy to partner, recognising her expertise in wills, trusts, probate and cross-bord
A new deputy chief commissioner and two new commissioners have been appointed to the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland. Colin Kennedy, chief executive of Maplewood Estates Limited and chairman of Jordan's Gift, has been appointed as deputy chief commissioner for a three-year term.
Orbitus has appointed Patrick Sheehan as corporate governance and ESG specialist in a significant expansion of its advisory capabilities across Kerry and the south-west region. The appointment follows the multidisciplinary professional services firm's merger with Patrick Sheehan Solicitors in Octobe
Intellectual property firm Murgitroyd has appointed Barry Moore as managing director of its patent practice. Mr Moore joined Murgitroyd in 2021 following the acquisition of Hanna Moore & Curley, the firm he co-founded and helped to build into a respected patents practice.
Northern Ireland firm Cleaver Fulton Rankin has welcomed Rebecca O'Flaherty as an associate director and Aisling Park as a paralegal. Ms O'Flaherty joins the firm's banking and finance team, bringing extensive experience advising clients across a broad range of sectors on complex corporate transacti
Northern Ireland
See all articlesNorthern Ireland's draft framework for race relations and delivery plan have gone out for consultation. The 12-week public consultation commences today and runs until 3 June 2026.
Personal injury lawyers have urged Northern Ireland's Department of Justice to avoid a scenario where severely injured people are under-compensated in comparison to those in England and Wales. The Department recently carried out a consultation on how inflation should be taken into account when the p
The Belfast Solicitors' Association (BSA) has secured a hard-fought 4-3 victory over the Bar of Northern Ireland in the legal profession's twice-yearly football match-up.
A large-scale investigation is taking place into a former PSNI officer suspected of committing rape and other sexual offences over the course of a decade. The Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland has said it is "allocating all available resources" to the investigation and has warned that this may i
Northern Ireland lawyers must defend access to justice and the rule of law, the president of the Commonwealth Lawyers Association (CLA) has said on a visit to Belfast. Steven Thiru was invited by the Law Society of Northern Ireland to discuss the threats to access to justice in Commonwealth cou
Universities
See all articlesNew research has identified how effective, trust-based relationships between youth justice practitioners and young people can play a significant role in supporting positive change and reducing offending behaviour. The study, led by the Research Evidence into Policy, Programmes and Practice (R
Dublin's Four Courts has played host to the inaugural Myers Moot Court Competition (MMCC), Europe's first moot court dedicated exclusively to EU whistleblowing law. The MMCC, organised by the European Whistleblowing Institute (EWI), is designed to inspire the next generation of whistleblowing law pr
Judge Hugh Mercer KC has been appointed as vice-president of the Irish Centre for European Law (ICEL). The UK judge on the European Court of Human Rights is now a member of the centre's advisory council, which meets twice yearly to advise its board on legal education in European human rights law and
The University of Limerick has been fined €98,000 following a series of personal data breaches. The Data Protection Commission (DPC) yesterday published its final decision following an own-volition inquiry into the breaches, which occurred between November 2018 and January 2020.
Belfast-based Phoenix Law has launched a group action on behalf of students whose education at Northern Ireland universities was significantly disrupted during the Covid-19 pandemic. The firm argues that students who paid full tuition fees "with the expectation of receiving the complete university e
Interviews
See all articlesSince its inauguration in 1911, International Women's Day has evolved into much more than a symbolic diary date. It’s now an annual event that not only celebrates the achievements of women, but also sharpens the focus on inequality, calls for the acceleration of progress and challenges organis
February is proving a busy time for Seán Brassil. Last month he was appointed general counsel at the Irish Rugby Football Union, 10 years after first writing to the IRFU offering his services during the court vacation period with a view to gaining experience in an industry about which he&rsqu
Colin Cardwell
Visitors to Galway will be familiar with attractions such as the city’s Spanish Arch, Cathedral and Latin Quarter. Perhaps less so, however, with its reputation as a major European hub for the medical technology sector. With its established cluster of global medtech companies, strong links wit
Colin Cardwell
Adam 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
Colin Cardwell
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







