News

A high-profile trial concerning evidence given to a Stormont committee about the Nama property scandal will be heard without a jury in an unprecedented step. Former Sinn Féin MLA Daithi McKay, Sinn Féin member Thomas O'Hara and loyalist blogger Jamie Bryson are facing a Crown Court tri

Belfast-based KRW LAW LLP has secured a second six-figure payout for Irish singer Dana after settling a libel case against the Sunday World. Solicitor Kevin Winters acted on behalf of the 1970 Eurovision winner in her action against Independent News & Media (INM) and Sunday Newspapers Ltd over a

Plans to reform electoral laws to prevent political parties from having their social media accounts managed from outside of Ireland could be "unworkable", the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) has suggested. According to the Irish Independent, Housing Minister Darragh O'Brien will ask his Cab

Proposed legislation to establish a "first-of-its-kind" online safety regulator will undergo pre-legislative scrutiny by an Oireachtas committee starting today. The joint committee on media, tourism, arts, culture, sport and the Gaeltacht, which is progressing the bill "as a priority", will hear a b

William Fry partner Leo Moore examines what is reasonable and proportionate to request from an individual in order to verify their identity. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) significantly enhances data subject rights, including the right to information, access, rectification and erasure

The UN's human rights chief has urged Westminster politicians to amend a controversial bill which would protect some British soldiers from prosecution for suspect war crimes overseas. The Overseas Operations (Service Personnel and Veterans) Bill is reaching its final stages in the legislative proces

French police are cracking down on secret restaurants where wealthy diners have been eating and drinking in breach of Covid-19 restrictions. The boss of one underground restaurant in Paris was arrested last week and over 110 of its guerrilla gastronomes were fined, TheLocal.fr reports.

The Supreme Court has upheld the constitutional validity of the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) in a significant ruling relating to the administration of justice in the State. It was held that the WRC process was not unconstitutional due to the lack of an appeal to the courts. Although the cour

A new legal practice called ODS Solicitors has been launched in Cork by lawyers Annette Sheehan and Helene O'Donovan. The firm, based a short distance from Cork Circuit Court at Crosses Green, will offer a broad range of legal services including litigation, family law, property, commercial, wil

The UK is poised to win support from Brussels to join a European legal cooperation pact. EU diplomats expect the European Commission to approve Britain's application to join the Lugano Convention today. The accord determines jurisdiction when it comes to cross-border civil cases.

Children with disabilities are being excluded from consultations on laws, policies and programmes affecting them, a new report has found. Researchers at NUI Galway School of Law and the Institute for Lifecourse and Society have found "several instances whereby children with disabilities have not had

Proposals to introduce a statutory duty of candour for healthcare organisations have gone out to consultation. Healthcare organisations and everyone working for them would be required to be "open and honest in all their dealings with patients and the public" under the proposed legislation.

Asylum seekers can now open a bank account with Bank of Ireland following an intervention by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission. The rights watchdog exercised its statutory powers through a formal process called an equality review, which has led to a change in the bank's policies.

Around 1,200 people have received Irish citizenship since a new temporary citizenship process was established 10 weeks ago. The statutory declaration process established on 18 January replaces the requirement for citizenship applicants to attend citizenship ceremonies, which have been temporarily su

Prison schools are set to reopen next week under the easing of Covid-19 restrictions in prisons. According to the Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI), teaching staff can now access education centres to undertake preparatory work ahead of the reopening of prison schools from 19 April 2021.