News

The UK is poised to win support from Brussels to join a European legal cooperation pact. EU diplomats expect the European Commission to approve Britain's application to join the Lugano Convention today. The accord determines jurisdiction when it comes to cross-border civil cases.

Children with disabilities are being excluded from consultations on laws, policies and programmes affecting them, a new report has found. Researchers at NUI Galway School of Law and the Institute for Lifecourse and Society have found "several instances whereby children with disabilities have not had

Proposals to introduce a statutory duty of candour for healthcare organisations have gone out to consultation. Healthcare organisations and everyone working for them would be required to be "open and honest in all their dealings with patients and the public" under the proposed legislation.

Asylum seekers can now open a bank account with Bank of Ireland following an intervention by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission. The rights watchdog exercised its statutory powers through a formal process called an equality review, which has led to a change in the bank's policies.

Around 1,200 people have received Irish citizenship since a new temporary citizenship process was established 10 weeks ago. The statutory declaration process established on 18 January replaces the requirement for citizenship applicants to attend citizenship ceremonies, which have been temporarily su

Prison schools are set to reopen next week under the easing of Covid-19 restrictions in prisons. According to the Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI), teaching staff can now access education centres to undertake preparatory work ahead of the reopening of prison schools from 19 April 2021.

Irwin Mitchell is reportedly considering a stock market flotation which would make it the most valuable legal services company on the London Stock Exchange. The Sheffield-based firm, which has 15 offices across Great Britain, has been working with investment bankers at Rothschild and is aiming for a

The Spanish government has begun reforming the secrecy regime that prevented papers from the civil war and Franco's dictatorship from being published. The Socialist-led coalition of Pedro Sánchez, the prime minister, said a commission had been established to bring Spain's freedom of informati

A scorned judge who took revenge on her cheating partner by "marrying" him in a sham ceremony with an impersonator has been ordered to retire. Judge Souad Meslem, a senior judge in Paris, admitted the bizarre plot to a disciplinary council and could soon face a criminal trial for fraud, The Times re

International law firm Taylor Wessing has announced plans to open its first office in Ireland to pursue tech and life science opportunities. It is the latest international law firm to establish a base in Dublin, following Cadwalader, Hogan Lovells, Ashurts and Linklaters in the last two months alone

Bord Gáis Energy, Ireland’s leading energy and services provider, has named Emma Burrows as its new legal, regulation and corporate affairs director.

The Attorney General should not have any role in the judicial appointments process, the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission has said. The rights watchdog has published its recommendations to the government and the Oireachtas on the general scheme of the Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2

The Department of Health has launched a consultation on extending temporary arrangements for "flexibility" in children's social care until November. Regulations were introduced in May to provide HSC Trusts and other children’s social care providers with temporary modifications to support them

Arthur Cox and Mason Hayes & Curran LLP have been named among the best law firms in the world for promoting diversity. The two Irish firms join US firms Covington & Burling and Crowell & Moring as the winners of Accenture's inaugural 2021 Outside Counsel Diversity Awards.

An Irish medical expert has made global headlines with his expert evidence for the prosecution at the trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin, accused of murdering George Floyd. The jury yesterday heard from Dr Martin Tobin, a world-leading expert in breathing who hails from Co Kilkenny and stu