News

Northern Ireland solicitors, trainees, legal executives, legal analysts and paralegals have been invited to take part in a new equality and diversity survey. The survey, being conducted by the Law Society of Northern Ireland's human rights and equality group, aims to provide a snapshot of the solici

Demand for civil legal aid fell sharply last year as public health restrictions were put in place, new figures from the Legal Aid Board reveal. The number of applicants seeking civil legal aid services from the Board's law centres totalled 14,383 in 2020, down by nearly a fifth on the previous year,

The backlog of cases in the criminal courts in England and Wales is likely to be a pervasive issue for several years, severely affecting all court users, according to a report by the National Audit Office (NAO). The pandemic significantly affected the work of the criminal justice system, requiring e

Cleaver Fulton Rankin has been recognised for excellence in people management at the CIPD Northern Ireland HR Awards. The CIPD NI HR Awards celebrate the best in HR and people management, and recognises those that have introduced business transformation or change that has led to a positive outcome,

A new independent gambling regulator will become operational in 2023 under plans approved by ministers this week. The general scheme of the Gambling Regulation Bill, published yesterday, will create a new Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland covering both online and in-person gambling, with powe

The Law Society of Northern Ireland has announced the appointment of Darren Patterson as head of professional development. Bringing with him an impressive portfolio of experience in the area of talent development and organisational change across a range of sectors, he will lead the Society’s w

The High Court has determined that a motor insurer must provide cover for a man who was badly injured when the lifting mechanism of a lorry failed and dropped a large bin on him. The dispute came before the court as a special case pursuant to Order 34 RSC, in circumstances where two insurers could n

Drunken villagers in India are being locked in cages and taunted by schoolchildren in order to deter them from alcoholism. The punishment, first devised in Motipura in the state of Gujarat, sees drunkards placed in a rusty cage until they pay a fine.

A family judge has rejected 28 “DIY divorce” applications after couples who used an unregulated website gave the exact same reasons for wanting to divorce. Mr Justice Moor said it was “quite impossible” that each of the respondents would behave in exactly the same manner and

British tourists who are injured abroad will be permitted to sue through the UK courts, after a woman succeeded in her Supreme Court case against a hotel chain to establish jurisdiction. Lady Brownlie took legal action after her husband Sir Ian Brownlie QC, 77, died along with his daughter, Rebecca,

Bulgaria violated the Article 10 freedom of expression right of a judge who was critical of the government, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has ruled. The case concerned two sets of disciplinary proceedings against the applicant, Miroslava Todorova, who had been a judge and the president

Businessman Denis O’Brien is being sued by two solicitors who allege they were defamed in a press statement responding to a report on media ownership in Ireland, The Irish Times reports. The statement was published on September 26th, 2016, on behalf of Mr O’Brien by his spokesman James M

The Irish Times has profiled Jalil Rizvi, a Pakistani immigrant, who has overcome every difficulty to qualify as a barrister this year. "On September 29th last members of the Rizvi family gathered with friends in the town of Mandi Bahuddin in northwest Pakistan to mark an important occasion. Halfway

The High Court has determined that the Secretary of State failed in his statutory duty to provide abortion services ‘expeditiously’ following a 19-month delay; however, a breach of ECHR Art 8 was not established. In these proceedings, brought partly on behalf of Amnesty International and

Philip Lee has announced the appointment of Michael Neary as partner within its real estate department.  Mr Neary is an experienced commercial real estate solicitor and has a proven track record in advising on every aspect of commercial real estate including retail, office, industrial, hospital