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Our regular round-up of deals involving Irish law firms. Submit your deals to newsdesk@irishlegal.com. Pinsent Masons has advised Athora Ireland plc on the sale of its €1 billion variable annuity portfolio to Monument Life Insurance DAC.

Any changes to the Human Rights Act 1998 could "significantly undermine Northern Ireland's unique constitutional settlement", The Bar of Northern Ireland has said. In its submission to the UK government's review of the law, the Bar said it "would not support any amendments to the HRA as part of this

The final report of the Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Inquiry contains evidence of serious human rights abuses and its recommendations for reparations are not sufficient to right them, new analysis has said. The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) yesterday published its analysis of the r

ByrneWallace has raised concerns about a proposed office development neighbouring its Dublin headquarters which it says "potentially jeopardises the privacy of our clients and our ability to preserve and protect client confidentiality". US property giant Kennedy Wilson has lodged plans for an office

An Italian mafia boss who swapped drug smuggling for the dole queue has been arrested. Police believe Giuseppe Refrigeri, 66, is a leader of the Banda della Marranella, which allegedly has a virtual monopoly on the drugs trade in Rome.

The Court of Appeal has increased the award of damages for a plaintiff who was hit by a car to €372,000. The plaintiff had appealed the decision of the High Court, which had awarded her with €265,000 after it was determined that she was 45 percent liable for the accident. On Friday, Mr Jus

New personal injury guidelines which will lead to significantly reduced payouts in most cases have been approved by the Judicial Council. The guidelines were drawn up by the personal injuries guidelines committee, chaired by Ms Justice Mary Irvine, and approved by the Judicial Council on Saturday at

Women make up a majority of all practising solicitors in Ireland but just over a third of those at partner level, the Law Society of Ireland has revealed. To mark International Women's Day, the Law Society is calling for "renewed collective efforts to increase access to leadership roles for women in

Legislation to lift the blanket ban on identifying children who were killed in a criminal offence has cleared the Seanad and will now to go the Dáil. The Children (Amendment) Bill 2020 will amend section 252 of the Children Act 2001, which the Court of Appeal ruled last year prevents the iden

Belfast lawyer Paul Tweed has been profiled in the US edition of Grazia as "the most powerful man in Hollywood". The fashion magazine describes Mr Tweed, partner at Gateley Tweed, as "one of the most formidable defamation lawyers in the world, with a client list that reads like a who's who of the la

A consultation on proposals to place adult safeguarding on a statutory footing has been extended for a further four weeks. The proposed Adult Protection Bill aims to respond to the 2019 scandal around safeguarding failings, including allegations of abuse, at Muckamore Abbey Hospital and Dunmurry Man

Judges will be allowed to remain on the bench until the age of 75 in a move to address the recruitment crisis in the judiciary. Ministers are to raise the mandatory retirement age as concern grows over the refusenik trend at the bar and ebbing morale amongst judges. A recent survey found many were c

Retired Belfast solicitor Ted Jones has passed away, the Law Society of Northern Ireland has said. Mr Jones qualified as a solicitor in September 1973. He founded corporate law firm Jones & Company Solicitors in 1998 and served as its principal partner until his retirement in 2012.

The final court order in a judicial review brought by the Good Law Project has found that Prime Minister Boris Johnson misled MPs when he said all Covid-19 contracts were "on the record for everybody to see". The High Court in London ruled last month that Health Secretary Matt Hancock had acted unla

Law firm Carson McDowell and Belfast Chamber of Commerce have launched a new series of events aimed at starting a debate around the future growth and development of Belfast. The "Re-Energising Belfast" series of four virtual events will consider some of the key development challenges and opportuniti