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An English solicitor who was fined for misconduct after engaging in sexual activity with a junior in his legal firm has succeeded in reversing the decision after appealing under the Solicitors Act 1974. The misconduct action was originally brought by the Solicitors Regulation Authority&nbs

Benjamin Bestgen takes a look this week at robotic weapons and the law. See last week's primer here. Killer robots, or “Lethal Autonomous Weapons” (LAWs), have been in our popular conscience for decades. Science fiction fans are familiar with Isaac Asimov’s Laws of Robotics and mos

The UK's only gender identity clinic for under-18s has lost a high-profile High Court battle over whether under-16s can consent to treatment with puberty blockers. The NHS Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS) based at Tavistock NHS Trust has, since 2011, prescribed puberty blockers (PBs) to so

Dr Sandra Duffy comments on yesterday's English High Court ruling on children's access to puberty blockers. Yesterday the High Court handed down its judgment in the case of Bell v Tavistock NHS Trust, which case concerned a judicial review of the practice of the Tavistock Gender Identity Development

An investigation has been launched after a two-metre-tall sculpture of an erect penis disappeared from a mountainside as mysteriously as it appeared. The sculpture baffled locals when it first appeared on the Grünten mountain in the south of Bavaria, Germany some years ago but later became a po

The High Court has affirmed a Circuit Court order, with varied maintenance obligations, and granted a barring order under the Domestic Violence Act 2018. Background

Telecoms giant BT has announced plans to invest over £2.7 million in a new first-of-its-kind legal hub in Belfast, creating up to 30 commercial lawyer roles over the next four years. Seven lawyers have joined the new BT hub, which will offer efficient, high-quality legal support to BT's corpor

Irish barrister Susan Ahern has been appointed as the first independent judicial chair of the International Wheelchair Rugby Federation (IWRF). Ms Ahern, who has over 20 years' experience in sports law, will assist in the development and ongoing management of the independent judicial processes requi

Healthcare solicitor Aisling Timoney has been appointed as a member of the Health and Social Care Professionals Council (CORU) for a four-year term. Health Minister Stephen Donnelly announced four appointments to the multi-profession health regulator to run until 18 November 2024 following a public

The UK government has drawn condemnation after refusing to order a public inquiry into the murder of Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane, which campaigners say flies in the face of the rule of law. The government yesterday outlined its response to the UK Supreme Court's ruling in February 2019 that the s

Northern Ireland should overhaul its hate crime laws to adopt a statutory aggravation model similar to that in Scotland, a major judge-led review has concluded. Judge Desmond Marrinan was appointed last summer to carry out the independent review, which was first promised in 2017 following calls from

The Parole Board will be put on an independent statutory footing by the end of next year, Justice Minister Helen McEntee has said. Ms McEntee gave an update on the implementation of the Parole Act 2019 as she launched the Board's annual report for 2019.

Legislation modernising the licensing and promotion of local gaming and lottery activity has been brought into effect. The government has described the Gaming and Lotteries (Amendment) Act 2019 as an "interim reform measure pending the comprehensive reform of gambling in Ireland".

The FDA trade union has today launched a ballot for industrial action over the fact Crown Office lawyers are paid less than their Scottish government counterparts.  The move could see about 500 procurators fiscal walk out early next year, our sister publication Scottish Legal News reports.

Fergal McGoldrick, associate at Carson McDowell, looks at the latest high-profile defamation case in London and considers how it compares to defamation in Northern Ireland. Amidst the gloom of rapidly darkening November evenings, and the doom of a global pandemic, the London libel court has roared b