News

New access to cash legislation is to come into effect this week. Orders relating to sections 5 and 10 of the Finance (Provision of Access to Cash Infrastructure) Act 2025 are to come into effect on Friday, Tánaiste and finance minister Simon Harris has said.

Elon Musk's AI chatbot, Grok, is under criminal investigation for Holocaust denial. Public prosecutors in Paris launched an investigation after Grok appeared to verify false claims made on X by a French neo-Nazi previously convicted of Holocaust denial offences.

Professor Kim Lane Scheppele has been appointed as visiting full professor at UCD Sutherland School of Law. Professor Scheppele is the Laurance S Rockefeller Professor of Sociology and International Affairs at Princeton University, where her work focuses on the rise and fall of constitutional democr

World-leading security experts have been forced to re-run an election after being locked out of their own ultra-secure system. The International Association of Cryptologic Research (IACR) announced on Friday that it could not access the results of its annual committee elections.

Irish government plans to follow the UK in making it harder for refugees to secure permanent settlement are "deeply alarming", the Irish Refugee Council has said. Ministers will this week decide how to respond to sweeping changes announced by the UK government, which claims the UK system is too gene

Legal proceedings could be brought against the Northern Ireland Executive over its failure to respond to a report backing a public inquiry into clerical sexual abuse. No decisions have yet been taken in response to the recommendations in the report, which was submitted in July but has yet to be publ

Northern Ireland firm Wilson Nesbitt has committed to a 50 per cent reduction in carbon emissions by 2030 and a 100 per cent reduction by 2050. The law firm is the latest signatory to Business in the Community NI's climate action pledge, designed to encourage organisations to commit to reducing thei

Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh KC is to be recognised by the Irish Women Lawyers Association (IWLA) as Woman Lawyer of the Year. The award will be presented to Ms Ní Ghrálaigh at the association's annual gala, taking place at the Law Society of Ireland on 13 December.

Ireland is in breach of its obligations under EU water protection law, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has ruled. In a judgment handed down last Thursday, the court identified serious non-compliances with the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD), introduced in 2000.

Clifford Chance is cutting around 10 per cent of its business services staff in London, with the firm citing increased use of AI and shifting operational demands as key drivers. About 50 roles across finance, HR and IT are expected to be made redundant, with a further 35 roles potentially re-scoped

Northern Ireland lawyers Darragh Mackin and Gavin Booth will each receive more than €410,000 in damages after being defamed by businessman Denis O'Brien and his spokesperson, James Morrissey. A High Court jury in Dublin found on Friday that Mr Mackin and Mr Booth were defamed in a press release

A&L Goodbody has welcomed newly-qualified solicitors Catherine Sheppard, Holly Emerson, Holly Molloy, Luca StClair, Martyn Doherty and Niall O’Hare to its Northern Ireland team. The six join the firm following their completion of its trainee solicitor programme, bringing the headcount in B

Waterford firms Bowe O'Brien Solicitors and Parker Law are to join forces through a merger next week. The merger between Bowe O'Brien, a boutique private client and commercial law firm, and Parker Law, a general practice firm, will take effect from 1 December 2025.

William Fry has appointed Jason Milne as partner and head of the firm's environment and planning group. Mr Milne brings over 25 years' specialist expertise in environmental, planning, and health and safety law.

Corporate law firms BHSM LLP and OBH Partners have announced a strategic merger taking effect from next week. The new firm will be known as BHSM LLP incorporating OBH Partners and will comprise 70 legal professionals, including 40 solicitors.