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District Court judges have been advised that motorists appearing in court who have a previous spent conviction for motoring offences should not be treated as first-time offenders. Mr Justice Seamus Noonan of the High Court ruled on the matter after a consultative case stated by Judge Gerard Haughton

Former Ennis solicitor Michelle O'Keeffe has reappeared in court on charges of stealing over €170,000 from 11 people over a five-year period. The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has directed that the case proceeds by indictment to Ennis Circuit Court, the Irish Examiner reports.

Wales has the highest imprisonment rate in Western Europe, according to research by Cardiff University’s Wales Governance Centre. Sentencing and Immediate Custody in Wales: A Factfile provides a statistical comparison of sentencing and immediate custody figures in Wales and England.

Three children who alleged they were sexually abused in an orphanage in Bulgaria before being adopted in Italy suffered no violation of articles 3 (prohibition of torture, inhuman or degrading treatment) and 8 (right to respect for private and family life) of the ECHR in respect of their treatment

The US federal courts have warned they will run out of money next Friday because of the partial shutdown of the US government. US lawmakers have been unable to agree a federal budget because Democratic Party representatives will not agree to President Donald Trump's demand for $5.7 billion to build

A man who tried to smuggle a snake on a plane by stuffing it in his trousers was foiled by keen-eyed customs officials. The 43-year-old was spotted with "something in his trousers that did not belong there", officers at Berlin Schönefeld Airport said.

Irish motorists travelling to Northern Ireland will need a "Green Card" to demonstrate to authorities that their vehicle has valid motor insurance if there is a no-deal Brexit, an insurance body has warned. The Motor Insurers' Bureau of Ireland (MIBI) said insurers and insurance brokers will begin i

A woman who claims that she was under duress and undue influence when she acted as guarantor for loans taken by her son, has been granted an interlocutory injunction restraining receivers from selling, possessing, trespassing upon or otherwise dealing with the secured property. Finding that there wa

Barristers John Jordan SC and Alexander Owens SC have been nominated by the Government for appointment to the High Court. They will fill the vacancies created following the elevation of Ms Justice Caroline Costello and Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy to the Court of Appeal last November.

Tributes have been paid to the late barrister Garrett Cooney SC after he passed away at the age of 84, The Irish Times reports. Mr Cooney, originally from Co Longford, called to the Bar in 1960 and called to the Inner Bar in 1977.

The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) has stripped McDonald's of its "Big Mac" trademark following an application from Galway-based fast food franchise Supermac's. In a landmark ruling, the EUIPO said McDonald's had not proven genuine use of the trademark in the five years prior to

The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has adjourned proceedings against Ballaghaderreen solicitor Declan O'Callaghan until the conclusion of a separate civil action against him, the Irish Independent reports. The tribunal was due to hear complaints against Mr O'Callaghan from businessman Tom Fleming

Diversity in the legal profession is declining because fewer state-educated pupils are going into law than in the past, according to Cherie Blair QC. Social and economic diversity have been greater problems in law than gender, the wife of former prime minister Tony Blair said.

Dublin solicitor Bernadette Parte opened her home to the Irish Independent for a feature looking at the south Dublin house she shares with her husband and three children. Ms Parte, who qualified as a solicitor in 1996 and has been a sole practitioner since 2009, talked to the newspaper about her fam

Legislation criminalising "upskirting" in England and Wales has been passed. Upskirting is the practice of taking a photo underneath a person's skirt without their permission.