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The Government's commitment to achieve a net zero carbon footprint by 2050 will be enshrined in new legislation. The proposed heads of the Climate Change (Amendment) Bill will be considered by Cabinet before Christmas, the minister for climate action, Richard Bruton, has confirmed.

Dr Rob Hendry, medical director of the Medical Protection Society (MPS), sets out the medical profession's perspective on Mr Justice Charles Meenan's expert group on tort reform and the management of clinical negligence claims. In 2018 the State Claims Agency paid out nearly €270 million i

Scottish lawyer Justin D'Agostino has been appointed as Herbert Smith Freehills' new chief executive officer. The appointment by the firm's council, approved by partnership vote, will take effect from 1 May 2020 for a term of four years. Mr D'Agostino will succeed Mark Rigotti, who has served two te

A man has been awarded €500 in damages and legal costs over a "fleeting" incident of defamation on a Luas. Leon Diop, 24, sued Transdev Dublin Light Rail and security firm STT Risk Management after he was asked to leave the tram after accusing a security guard of racial profiling.

A round-up of human rights stories from around the world. Queensland anti-protest laws 'inherently disproportionate', UN human rights experts say | Australia news | The Guardian

A man has been arrested for impersonating his mum in a driving test. The 43-year-old put on a floral blouse, nail polish, make-up and a wig to fool a driving instructor into thinking he was his 60-year-old mother.

Dublin partners Colm Rafferty and Karen Killalea have been appointed to the Maples Group's Irish management team. Mr Rafferty joined Maples in 2007, five years after joining the roll of solicitors, and now co-heads the corporate team in Dublin.

Ennis solicitor Michelle O'Keeffe has been given a four-year suspended sentence for stealing nearly €150,000 from clients. Ms O'Keeffe, 56, pleaded guilty to the theft of €149,830 from 11 clients over a five-year period, The Irish Times reports.

The controversial Judicial Appointments Commission Bill has completed the final stage in the Seanad after 125 hours of debate. The Government imposed a guillotine last night to bring debate on the legislation to an end, despite protests from opposition politicians.

Controversial legislative plans to give adopted people access to their birth records have been dropped due to a failure to reach agreement with stakeholders. In a statement, Children's Minister Dr Katherine Zappone said the decision was taken following a period of "intensive briefings and consultati

The Government should take urgent action to address the "dysfunctions and failures" in the homeless system, Mercy Law Resource Centre (MLRC) has said. The law centre, which provides legal advice to people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, has published a new research report on the su

Employment law solicitor Richard Grogan of Richard Grogan & Associates looks at the law surrounding bonus payments as the end of the year looms. The issue of bonus payments regularly arises particularly where an employee is leaving close to or at the time of the payment of a bonus.

International law firm Herbert Smith Freehills has announced a £2 million five-year partnership with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). The firm's partnership with MSF began in Australia and now includes the Belfast office as well as its teams in London, Johannesburg, Hong Kong and

Increased take-up of artificial intelligence technology in the legal sector could put tens of thousands of paralegals and other support staff out of a job, according to research published by the Law Society of England and Wales. The legal regulator commissioned the Institute for Employment Studies (

Three heart patients died after an angry mob of lawyers rampaged through a hospital in Lahore in a dispute with lawyers. Some 200 lawyers in their traditional black suits descended upon the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC), destroying windows and doors and setting a police van on fire.