News

The Crown Court has determined that interview evidence gathered by the Historical Enquiries Team cannot be used against two paratroopers charged with the murder of Joe McCann in 1972. The ruling led to the collapse of the murder trial for Soldier A and Soldier C because the interview evidence was th

Major reforms may be required before the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) can resume hearing cases in the aftermath of a landmark Supreme Court ruling, a leading employment lawyer has warned. Speaking to Irish Legal News this morning, Dublin solicitor Richard Grogan said it could take months bef

Legislation to protect former British soldiers from prosecution for killings in Northern Ireland during the Troubles will be brought forward following the collapse of a trial in Belfast, according to reports. Two former members of the British Army's Parachute Regiment, known only as Soldier A and So

Former Attorney General John Larkin QC will lead a legal team assembled by pro-life campaigners to challenge 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

Proposals to improve the experiences of victims and witnesses within the criminal justice system, including through the establishment of a Victims of Crime Commissioner for Northern Ireland, have gone out to consultation. The two-part consultation, which will run until 29 July 2021, seeks views on a

Legislation banning the sale of alcoholic drinks for less than 10c per gram of alcohol will be brought into effect this year, ministers have announced. Minimum unit pricing, as provided for in section 11 of the Public Health (Alcohol) Act 2018, aims to reduce alcohol consumption by setting a floor p

The RUC failed to effectively investigate the killings of four people by police officers at the start of the Troubles in 1969, the Police Ombudsman has found. In a 128-page report published today, Marie Anderson said there were significant operational and investigative failures by the RUC in relatio

In a dramatic U-turn, the US government has signalled its support for waiving intellectual property protections for Covid-19 vaccines and medical tools to help developing countries tackle the global pandemic. The waiver was first proposed by India and South Africa last October in a detailed submissi

The Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) today issued a set of minimum requirements for conditions of detention in European prisons, concerned by the negative effects of pre-existing austerity measures in certain states, which could be exacerbated by the Covid-19 p

A farmer accidentally annexed part of France to his native Belgium after moving a 200-year-old stone marking the border between the countries. The border marker has been in place since the border was first drawn up in 1819 and ratified in the Treaty of Kortrijk the following year.

The Supreme Court has upheld the admissibility of certain surveillance evidence which was used to convict members and associates of the IRA. In so ruling, the court determined that section 10 of the Criminal Justice (Surveillance) Act 2009 did not require the Minister for Justice to individually aut

McCann FitzGerald has announced the appointment of six new partners, bringing the total number of partners at the all-equity partnership to 80. The new partners are Laura Deignan in aviation finance, Stephen Fuller and John Neeson in corporate and M&A, Niall McDowell in corporate banking, David

Commercial litigation partner Lisa Broderick has been re-elected unopposed to serve a second three-year term as the location head for DAC Beachcroft's Dublin office. Ms Broderick, who has been at the firm since 2010, is an experienced litigator who advises clients including financial services busine

Family lawyers have welcomed moves towards clearing the backlog of judicial separation and divorce cases in Dublin. Dublin County Registrar Rita Considine will fix hearing dates for cases today, tomorrow and Friday.

Solicitor Dr Muiris Ó Céidigh has been appointed as a member of Mutual Energy, a mutual company which manages strategic energy assets in the long-term interests of Northern Ireland's energy consumers. The company's mutual status means it does not have shareholders. Instead, members are