News

In a keenly-awaited landmark ruling, the UK Supreme Court has ruled supermarket chain Morrisons is not liable for the conduct of an employee who leaked payroll data for over 100,000 workers and was subsequently jailed. The appeal concerned the circumstances in which an employer is vicariously liable

A man arrested after a high-speed car chase allegedly told officers he was teaching his dog how to drive. Officers said they found a pit bull behind the wheel of the car when it eventually came to a halt, but the dog's 51-year-old owner was steering.

The Court of Appeal has dismissed the appeal of a Cork solicitor who was found guilty of professional misconduct by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal after he threatened to destroy files for the non-payment of fees which were not actually owed to him. Background

More than half a dozen new lawsuits have been filed in connection with the CervicalCheck scandal since the Supreme Court handed down its judgment in the Morrissey case earlier this month. Ruth Morrissey was awarded €2.1 million by the High Court last year over the misreading of her cervical sme

Solicitors have been advised that they can witness the signing of wills through windows and car windshields during the coronavirus pandemic. The Law Society of Ireland circulated advice to solicitors last week following an increase in the number of people seeking to make a will as part of contingenc

Gardaí recorded sharp increases in fraud, gun and drug offences in 2019, according to the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO). The number of fraud, deception and related offences recorded by gardaí rose to 7,944 in 2019, an increase of 26.2 per cent on the previous

The International Protection Appeals Tribunal (IPAT) has postponed all hearings currently scheduled up to and including 19 April 2020. Chairperson Hilkka Becker said the Tribunal was taking further measures to protect "the health and safety of appellants, tribunal staff and members and our stakehold

A senior judge has said there is no reason why non-jury trials cannot proceed in the Special Criminal Court when many other upcoming court cases have been placed in doubt over the coronavirus crisis. Mr Justice Tony Hunt, presiding in the three-judge court yesterday, was speaking about the upcoming

A new website has been launched to track the use of alternatives to traditional court hearings during the coronavirus pandemic. Legal technologist Professor Richard Susskind, who is president of the Society for Computers and Law, said remotecourts.org is "designed to help the global community of jus

Cleaver Fulton Rankin has been shortlisted for an award in recognition of its talent management. The Northern Ireland law firm will compete for the Best Talent Management award at the CIPD NI HR Awards in October.

New measures allowing women in England to take abortion pills at home during the coronavirus pandemic should be extended to Northern Ireland, campaigners have said. The Department of Health in England yesterday confirmed that it would press ahead with previously withdrawn plans to allow women in Eng

The Council of Europe has launched an updated version of its free online “Introduction to the European Convention on Human Rights”, a five-hour interactive training course aimed at legal professionals, public authorities, civil society and students. “Europe has the strongest system

A new book about Northern Ireland human rights lawyer Kevin Boyle is being promoted online in a "virtual book tour" because of the coronavirus pandemic. The recently-released book, "Are You With Me? Kevin Boyle and the Rise of the Human Rights Movement" by former CNN correspondent Mike Chinoy, explo

A thief raiding a parked car was foiled after the vehicle's owner used a remote key to trap him until police arrived. The owner spotted Scott Hunt, 45, rummaging through the car in the early hours of the morning from his window and locked the doors, The Times reports.

The latest guidance from the Courts Service of Ireland in relation to the coronavirus pandemic, issued on Sunday night, is reproduced in full below. Notice for practitioners and members of the public requiring services from court offices in respect of criminal, family law and civil law business