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More than 50 new solicitors have been welcomed to the Northern Ireland profession at a unique reception held two years after their admission ceremony was cancelled due to the pandemic. The new lawyers were addressed by Brigid Napier, the president of the Law Society of Northern Ireland, and the Lady

Parental alienation is being "increasingly cited in the Irish courts" despite the lack of a clear agreed definition, justice minister Helen McEntee said as she launched a new consultation on the issue. The Department of Justice last year commissioned research into parental alienation which is still

Gardaí should be required by law to record race and ethnicity data during a stop and search, the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission has recommended. The rights watchdog has also called for stronger wording to prohibit racial profiling, as well as detailed guidelines developed in consu

Dublin firm Lavelle Partners has announced the promotion of Greg Flanagan to partner in its commercial property team. Mr Flanagan, who joined the firm in 2018 and previously held the position of senior solicitor, is the second partner in the commercial property team alongside Nicola Walsh.

A police force belatedly discovered it had been burgled after finding some of its belongings during an unrelated search. Officers searching an address in Auckland, New Zealand unexpectedly came across "a number of documents" which were meant to have been destroyed, as well as expired cannisters of p

Decades of racist legislation led to the Windrush scandal in which dozens of British citizens from Caribbean countries were wrongly deported, according to a report produced for the Home Office and leaked by a UK newspaper. The 52-page document, written by an historian who has not been named, conclud

James Hamilton, a former director of public prosecutions, has been appointed as chair of the government's new Advisory Council against Economic Crime and Corruption (ACECC). Mr Hamilton previously led the government's review of structures and strategies to prevent, investigate and penalise economic

The Law Society of Ireland has marked the 20th anniversary of its access programme, which has provided financial and practical supports to over 300 aspiring solicitors to date. The programme aims to assist students from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds to enter professional legal educati

There will be no further extension to immigration permissions beyond the end of May 2022, the government has confirmed. During the pandemic, immigration permissions were extended nine times to allow people who held a valid permission to be in the State in March 2020 to be legally permitted to remain

The government has published an implementation plan for Mr Justice Peter Kelly's review of the administration of civil justice. A number of the 90 recommendations in his report, which was published in December 2020, have already been implemented. The remaining recommendations will be implemented on

A review of legislation recognising Irish Sign Language (ISL) as one of the native languages of the State and providing for its use in legal proceedings has not been published despite being completed last year. The Irish Sign Language Act 2017 requires a report on the operation of the Act to be prod

Just nine law firms are available to undertake legal aid work in immigration and asylum law in Northern Ireland, according to a new report. The report, produced by barrister and researcher Dr Jo Wilding for Refugee Action Good Practice, examines access to immigration legal advice in different parts

Human rights lawyer Mark Kelly has been appointed as Ireland's new inspector of prisons. Mr Kelly will replace Mark Toland, who has been fulfilling the role on an interim basis since the dramatic resignation of Patricia Gilheaney in February.

Lawmakers in Thailand have been criticised after it was revealed that the country's new parliament building includes a karaoke room. The Sappaya-Sapasathan also features a running track, massage room and golf driving range.

Northern Ireland's only Irish language theatre company has launched legal action against the Arts Council over its decision to withdraw funding from the group. The theatre group, Aisling Ghéar, is challenging the decision on the basis that it is unfair and irrational. The annual funding from