News

The High Court has declined to refer an environmentalist group's case to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). Background

Galway solicitor Ann Heneghan has become the first woman to hold a presidential role at provincial level in Irish rugby following her election as president of Connacht Rugby. Ms Heneghan was initially elected as junior vice president in May 2018, and then as senior vice president last summer. She ha

A law firm set up by Lurgan solicitor Harry McCourt at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic has expanded to form McCourt McGlone Solicitors. Founded as McCourt Solicitors in June, the firm has moved from strength to strength with the appointment of new partner Ciaran McGlone, who has extensive experi

A new framework for the inspection of Irish prisons has been published by the Inspector of Prisons, Patricia Gilheaney. The new framework, which has been welcomed by penal rights campaigners, draws upon relevant international human rights standards, in particular the preventive approach, and standar

Judgment in a business interruption insurance case that featured 15 Queen's Counsel and 20 junior counsel has been handed down by the High Court. The court found in favour of the arguments advanced for policyholders by the Financial Conduct Authority on the majority of the key issues.

Ruaidhrí Austin, solicitor at Lacey Solicitors Dublin and Belfast, examines the recent UK High Court test case in which the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) challenged a number of insurers in relation to business interruption cover. The High Court in England and Wales has handed down its jud

Case processing times improved across all courts in the year ending April 2020, according to new figures. The Department of Justice has published new statistics on the average case processing time for criminal cases in the Crown and magistrates' courts in Northern Ireland between 1 April 2019 and 31

EU net neutrality rules introduced five years ago following sustained campaigning by digital rights groups have been interpreted by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) for the first time. In a ruling handed down by the Grand Chamber yesterday, judges said Telenor, an internet service p

Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, failed to refer 365 cases of suspected child abuse in Kerry to gardaí for investigation, an internal review has revealed. Concerns around potential under-reporting of abuse allegations was first raised within Tusla last year, and an internal review has sinc

A dentist who extracted a patient's tooth while riding a hoverboard has been sentenced to 12 years' imprisonment on various charges. Alaskan Seth Lookhart was caught on camera using the hoverboard while carrying out the procedure, the Anchorage Daily News reports.

Simmons & Simmons has announced the appointment of Peter McKeever as a commercial real estate partner in Dublin. Mr McKeever joins the firm from Matheson, where he has spent the last 14 years building a strong reputation across the real estate sector.

A new online process for filing and processing an application for probate or administration has been introduced. The new online Statement of Affairs (Probate) (Form SA.2) replaces the old Inland Revenue Affidavit (Form CA.24).

A judge who had close contact with somebody with Covid-19 has directed a jury in an ongoing criminal trial from his home. Judge James McCourt, appearing yesterday morning via video link to the Criminal Courts of Justice in Dublin, told the jury that he was socially isolating at home after close cont

A private member's bill allowing for terminally ill people to seek assistance to end their own lives is set to be introduced in the Dáil today. The Dying with Dignity Bill, to be introduced by People Before Profit TD Gino Kenny, is expected to win support from Sinn Féin, the Social Dem

Our regular round-up of deals involving Irish law firms. Submit your deals to newsdesk@irishlegal.com. Matheson recently advised Cronus Finance DAC in relation to its issuance of €186.4 million asset backed securities.