News

Amazon has again failed in a bid to stay defamation proceedings brought by media lawyer Paul Tweed in relation to a book published in 2023. Mr Tweed is suing the online retail giant as well as Georgetown University Press, the publisher of Dr Andreas Kreig's 2023 book Subversion: The Strategic W

Scottish government ministers are considering changes to smoking ban legislation to allow the smoking of crack cocaine within supervised drug consumption facilities. Glasgow City Council has asked the Scottish government to allow the UK’s first officially sanctioned drug consumption room, know

Three lawyers from north and south of the border have been recognised at the European Legal Awards 2025. Olivia O'Kane, David O'Malley and James Stewart were among those recognised at the awards ceremony in Rome at the end of November.

Ministers have approved legislative plans to restrict the disclosure of counselling records in sexual offence trials as an "initial step in reforming the law in this area". Disclosure hearings in such cases will become mandatory under provisions included in the wide-ranging Criminal Law and Civ

A crucial part of the legal framework for the free flow of personal data between the EU and the UK post-Brexit has been extended until 2031. The European Commission has renewed the two 2021 adequacy decisions under which the UK's legal framework for data protection is recognised as meeting standards

Ireland has formally ratified the 2001 UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage. By ratifying, Ireland has become the 82nd party to the Convention, which was adopted in November 2001 at the 31st UNESCO General Conference.

The Supreme Court is to rule next year on joined cases concerning the right to Irish citizenship by descent of children born to same-sex parents abroad. The State is appealing a High Court ruling handed down in April in the joined cases of X and Y, in which Ms Justice Siobhán Phelan identifie

Santa and his elves have shoplifted huge volumes of food to share with the needy at Christmastime. Police in Montréal, Canada say "masked and disguised individuals" stole food worth around $3,000 CAD (around €1,855 or £1,620) from a supermarket last week, CBC reports.

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.

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

The Legal Aid Board recorded a 15 per cent increase in applicants accessing civil legal aid services from law centres last year, according to its latest annual report. There were 28,050 civil legal aid applicants in 2024, with 11,689 of them relating to international protection applications —

Disruptive and violent conduct in court by litigants in person and their supporters is becoming increasingly common and "will not be tolerated", the president of the High Court has said. In a notice issued yesterday, Mr Justice David Barniville set out a list of measures that High Court judges can t

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

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.

Hogan Lovells and Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft are to merge in what has been described as the largest law firm combination in history. The combined firm, Hogan Lovells Cadwalader, will be the world's fifth-largest law firm by revenue, with annual revenue in excess of $3.6 billion and a team of