News

The Court of Appeal has determined that clamp removal fees issued by a private car park are subject to VAT on the basis that a service is being provided to the motorist. It had previously been found by the Tax Appeal Commissioner that the clamping fees were payment in lieu of damages for trespass by

Dublin solicitor Michael Quinlan has been appointed as chairperson of the board of the Property Services Regulatory Authority (PSRA). Mr Quinlan, managing partner of Dixon Quinlan Solicitors and a past president of the Law Society of Ireland, brings to the role over 30 years of experience as a solic

An internal review by the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) has concluded it was right not to charge politicians who attended the controversial funeral of republican Bobby Storey. The PPS initiated a review process after receiving three formal requests to re-examine decisions taken in relation to a g

Solicitors Dione Darragh and Jenny Ebbage have been appointed as trustees to the Halifax Foundation for Northern Ireland. Ms Darragh is a director in O'Reilly Stewart Solicitors, specialising in personal injury litigation, while Ms Ebbage is a partner at Edwards & Co Solicitors, specialising in

Major Irish employers could follow Facebook's lead in allowing their staff to work remotely from abroad, an employment law expert has warned. Dublin solicitor Richard Grogan told The Irish Times that the "floodgates have opened" following Facebook's widely-publicised decision to allow more of its Ir

Professor Colin Harvey of Queen's University Belfast School of Law considers the post-Brexit challenges for Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland has always been, and remains, a ‘special arrangement’. The changes in the leadership of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) do not alter the basi

More than two-thirds of people are confident that Northern Ireland's prosecution service is fair and impartial, a new survey suggests. The latest Northern Ireland Life and Times (NILT) survey, published yesterday, found a slight year-on-year decline as 70 per cent of those questioned said they were

An Garda Síochána has published new policy documents setting out how it will tackle corruption within the policing service. The three documents have been drawn up by the Garda Anti-Corruption Unit (GACU), which was established in November 2020.

A barrister has been suspended after suggesting Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's new daughter should be called 'Doprah'. The Family Law Café in London said it had suspended Joanna Toch “with immediate effect pending an internal review into her recent comments on Twitter”.

An Austrian soldier has been convicted of glorifying Nazism after tattooing a swastika on his testicles. The 29-year-old was sentenced to 19 months in prison this week after being found guilty of glorifying Nazism and possessing illegal firearms.

The High Court has ruled that mandatory-minimum sentences for those with previous convictions for serious drug trafficking is contrary to the Constitution. Under section 27(3F) of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977, a person had to receive at least 10 years’ imprisonment if they had previously been

The Bar of Ireland has called for the urgent restoration of fees paid to criminal barristers as new figures show that two-thirds abandon a career in criminal law after just six years. Under FEMPI legislation in the aftermath of the financial crisis, professional fees paid to barristers practising cr

Belfast and Newtownards firm Worthingtons Solicitors has announced the promotion of three new partners and one new associate partner. Toni Fitzgerald Gunn, Jonathan Duncan and Naomi Devlin have been promoted to partner while Katie Buchanan has been promoted to associate partner, effective from 1 Jun

A statutory sick pay scheme is set to be phased in over a four-year period beginning in 2022. Ministers yesterday approved the drafting of the general scheme of the Sick Leave Bill 2021, which will initially provide for three days of paid sick leave per year in 2022, rising to five days in 2023 and

Mr Justice Michael White has been appointed to take over the commission of investigation into the handling of child sexual abuse allegations in Waterford in the 1980s. He will replace Mr Justice Barry Hickson, who was appointed as the sole member of the commission in 2018, who is stepping down at th