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Work has recommenced on drafting a defamation reform bill for Northern Ireland, but it is unlikely to be debated until after the next Stormont elections. There have been prominent class for defamation reform in Northern Ireland since the Defamation Act 2013 overhauled the defamation regime in Englan

Proposed legislation to allow children who were born in Ireland and have lived in the State for three years to be considered for Irish citizenship may receive government backing. Labour Senator Ivana Bacik, a qualified barrister and legal academic, introduced the Irish Nationality and Citizenship (N

A transgender woman has brought judicial review proceedings arguing that the requirement to have a medical diagnosis in order to obtain a gender recognition certificate (GRC) breaches her human rights. Solicitor Ciarán Moynagh of Phoenix Law is representing the anonymous woman in the proceedi

The government has published a consultation draft of Ireland's first state report under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which was ratified by the State in 2018. The report describes how each article of the Convention is being implemented in Ireland and notes significant

Geraldine McGahey, chief commission of the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland, notes the continued importance of the landmark Disability Discrimination Act 1995. Today marks International Day of Persons with Disabilities – a day dedicated to promote full and equal participation of people

A&L Goodbody has been named the Irish law firm of the year at The Lawyer European Awards 2020, besting finalists Arthur Cox, Mason Hayes & Curran LLP and William Fry. The annual awards, which took place virtually on Monday, recognise and celebrate excellence across the European legal market

Home Secretary Priti Patel has attacked lawyers for protecting “murderers and rapists” after 30 criminals were removed from a flight deporting them to Jamaica following a legal challenge. The flight would have seen 50 criminals deported but this figure was reduced to 20 following legal i

Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy and other Muppets were listed to appear in court on criminal charges in an apparent mistake by courts staff. At least three Crown Courts in England listed various Muppets as well as cartoon and fairy tale characters in official court listings.

The High Court has granted a divorce and made a number of orders in relation to a family home, commenting that an abuse of privilege may have costs implications. Background

Lord Kerr of Tonaghmore, who retired from the UK Supreme Court bench just two months ago, has passed away at the age of 72. Tributes have been paid this morning to the former Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland, who was appointed as one of the inaugural members of the UKSC on its creation in 2009

The UK government has been accused of hiding behind a "smokescreen" in its decision not to order a public inquiry into the murder of Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane. On Monday, the government outlined its response to the UK Supreme Court’s ruling in February 2019 that the state has failed to de

Online shareholder meetings may continue to be allowed in Irish law beyond next summer if take-up remains strong after the end of the Covid-19 pandemic, William Fry has said. Over 170 in-house legal counsel from across Ireland yesterday attended a virtual William Fry CounselConnect conference which

There is "patchy" evidence of progress on reform of the youth justice system in Northern Ireland, a new report has warned. The Northern Ireland Audit Office (NIAO) has published a follow-up report considering progress made by the Department of Justice and Youth Justice Agency (YJA) since a highly cr

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The immigration registration office in Burgh Quay, Dublin has reopened for first-time registrations following the relaxation of Covid-19 restrictions. First-time registrations were not possible while the office was closed because of the requirement to take biometrics, i.e. fingerprints, during the p