News

Lawyers for a number of families with relatives in care homes across Northern Ireland have called for a statutory inquiry into the rate of coronavirus deaths in care homes. Belfast firm KRW LAW LLP has written to Health Minister Robin Swann on behalf of families alarmed by alleged failures in terms

People fleeing domestic abuse will be able to access free public transport under plans being developed by the Departments of Justice and Infrastructure. Justice Minister Naomi Long and Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon agreed to work together to explore the idea after a meeting yesterday.

A new book with contributions from Irish mediators offers advice on how to maintain relationships during the coronavirus pandemic. Living Together, Separating, Divorcing: Surviving During a Pandemic includes advice from over 70 leading mediators and professionals from 10 countries.

Sixty-six per cent of women in the legal profession in the UK say the coronavirus crisis is having an impact on their mental health, with over a third experiencing a drop in income and 67 per cent reporting that the organisation they work for has furloughed staff. The drop in income did not appear t

In the latest of a series of recommendations for lawyers staving off boredom in lockdown, the Law Society of Ireland's director general Ken Murphy recommends Hilary Mantel's latest. My big (800-plus page) recent read has been Hilary Mantel’s The Mirror and The Light – the glorious comple

Family migration rules have been amended for people in Northern Ireland in line with the deal struck in January to restore devolution. Under the new immigration rules, family members of British or dual British-Irish citizens from Northern Ireland will be able to apply for status under the EU settlem

An ice cream shop in Hong Kong has launched a "tear gas" flavour in support of the region's pro-democracy movement. After experimenting with wasabi and mustard, the 31-year-old shop owner eventually settled on black peppercorns as the main ingredient.

An interim care order for an unaccompanied child victim of trafficking has been granted in the first-ever remote hearing of a District Court case. The Child Care Law Reporting Project (CCLRP) attended the remote Dublin District Court hearing and has published a report of proceedings.

A motion to remove the controversial Guerin Report from the Oireachtas library was withdrawn from the Dáil agenda after a row between parties. The motion was included in the order of business announced yesterday, to be taken on Thursday without debate and an immediate division.

Immigration permissions due to expire between 20 May and 20 July 2020 will be automatically extended for two months, Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan has announced. The measure includes people in Ireland on short stay visas or awaiting first registration, as well as those whose permissions were alr

The families of Bloody Sunday victims have welcomed proposals to allow them to remotely observe the murder trial of the former British soldier known as "Soldier F". Soldier F was charged last year with the murder of James Wray and William McKinney, and the attempted murder of Joseph Friel, Michael Q

A proposed new legal right for employees to work from home would be difficult to meaningfully enforce, a Belfast solicitor has said. The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) is currently considering the introduction of a new statutory right to work from home in order to s

Administrative law expert Paul Daly explores yesterday's judgment in R v Adams [2020] UKSC 19. On two occasions in the 1970s, Gerry Adams, allegedly a leading member of the Irish Republican Army at the time and later a prominent Sinn Féin politician, was convicted of attempting to escape from

Tom O'Malley, a law lecturer and barrister with expertise in criminal law, sentencing, criminal procedure and constitutional law, considers whether the use of non-jury trials in Ireland can be expanded. It has recently been reported that the Bar Council of Ireland has been considering whether ordina

A legal challenge has been brought against the decision to simply delay the 2020 round of transfer tests for Primary 6 pupils in Northern Ireland. A mother has instructed Belfast firm Phoenix Law on behalf of her 10-year-old daughter to challenge the decision to delay the exams for two to three week