News

Widely-supported proposals to abolish the so-called "rough sex" defence, strengthen the law around image-based sexual abuse and widen the scope of the law on abuse of trust could fall to the wayside for over a year due to a political deadlock. Justice Minister Naomi Long was quizzed by MLAs yesterda

Irish solicitor Robert Burke has been appointed as a partner in Liechtenstein law firm Schurti Partners Rechtsanwälte AG. A graduate of Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) and the Law Society of Ireland, Mr Burke qualified as a solicitor in Ireland in 2006 and practised for several years as

A public consultation will be launched within weeks on how the criminal justice system should treat cases of non-fatal strangulation. Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland (CJINI) recommended in June 2019 that the Department of Justice should review how potential inadequacies in current legis

Ultán Anderson, litigation solicitor at Leman Solicitors, explains how "cyber insurance" can help protect businesses from ransomware attacks. Unless you have been living under a rock for the past two weeks, you will have heard of the cyber attack on the HSE. A Russian gang known as ‘Wiz

All windows at Newtownards Courthouse will be upgraded and replaced over the summer, Justice Minister Naomi Long has confirmed. Mrs Long told MLAs the plans are "well advanced" and will "address long-standing maintenance issues and improve energy efficiency".

Matthew Austin and Mary Gill of Hayes solicitors LLP explain how the proposed new rescue process for small and micro businesses will operate. The Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment announced on 10 May 2021 that it has secured government approval for the priority drafting of the Companies

Pinsent Masons has announced an employee rewards package for the last financial year and confirmed repayment of the UK government furlough money, The Lawyer reports. The firm said it was restoring salaries to the 98 per cent of staff who took part in its reduced working hours scheme in 2020 and that

Property law firm McKenna & Co Solicitors has named homelessness charity Focus Ireland as its charity partner for 2021. Commenting on the partnership, principal solicitor Lisa McKenna said: "Our property department understand the importance of home, and the feeling of safety and security it prov

A drug dealer inadvertently landed himself with a lengthy prison sentence after taking a photograph of a block of Stilton cheese. Carl Stewart, 39, was identified as a user of the EncroChat mobile encryption service by forensic experts using an image he shared of a block of cheese in the palm of his

The Law Society of Ireland has called on Health Minister Stephen Donnelly to apologise to the solicitors' profession after he suggested lawyers were "licking their lips" over the HSE cyber attack. Mr Donnelly, appearing on Newstalk Breakfast last week, said that he had "seen some legal firms already

The barrister heading the Central Bank of Ireland's financial conduct operations has been elected as chair of the investment management standing committee of the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA). Derville Rowland, who joined the Central Bank in 2004 and was appointed as director gene

Irish barrister James Bridgeman SC has been appointed as Georgia's first-ever honorary consul in Ireland. Mr Bridgeman, a practising barrister and international arbitrator, is also the chair of the Georgia-Ireland Business Council (GIBC) and an honorary member of the board of the Georgian Internatio

Pro-life campaigners have formally lodged proceedings in Belfast against regulations giving the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland powers to direct the commissioning of abortion services. Belfast law firm Hewitt & Gilpin has been instructed by the Centre for Bioethical Reform Northern Irela

Virtually all cases in the child care courts have been delayed as a result of the HSE cyber attack, according to reports. Family lawyers told The Times that a number of cases have been adjourned due to difficulties receiving reports from social workers.

Children are being forced to live in "deplorable" conditions in a local authority-run halting site for Travellers, the Ombudsman for Children's Office (OCO) has concluded in a damning report. The OCO launched an investigation following a 2018 complaint from a Traveller advocacy group about the condi