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Ireland's human rights watchdog has called for "close parliamentary oversight" of emergency legislation introduced in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission issued a statement this morning following a meeting on Friday to consider the rights implications

Judges have been urged to abandon the phrase "beyond all reasonable doubt" as it apparently confuses juries. In new guidance for the judiciary, they have been advised to tell jurors they should be “satisfied so that they are sure” a defendant is guilty before convicting.

Three alleged IRA members who were convicted of training Colombian rebels in bomb-making have been granted an amnesty. The "Colombia Three" fled to Ireland shortly before they were sentenced to 17 years' imprisonment for training FARC guerillas.

Arthur Cox has been recognised as Ireland's top law firm at the 2020 International Financial Law Review (IFLR) Europe Awards. The firm also advised on the Structured Finance and Securitisation Deal of the Year and was recognised for its work on the Stenn trade receivables securitisation deal.

A&L Goodbody has won two awards from the China Business Law Journal in recognition of its high-profile work in 2019. The firm claimed the Aviation Firm of the Year and Deal of the Year awards from the CBLJ, which recognises landmark China-related deals every year with a focus on overall signific

The right to work from home could be enshrined in employment law in Germany later this year, according to reports. Hubertus Heil, the federal minister for labour and social affairs, told Bild am Sonntag that he would bring forward legislation in autumn.

Owners of realistic sex dolls have been reminded to dispose of their erstwhile companions properly following a series of mistaken reports of dead bodies. Police in Germany responded to a report of a dead body in a Bavarian village last weekend only to find a remarkably convincing sex doll, The Times

The Law Society of Ireland has written to AIB to raise a "serious breach of the certificate of title agreement" following the closure of the Property Registration Authority (PRA). The bank and its subsidiaries EBS and Haven have introduced new requirements for the release of loan funds in residentia

The coronavirus pandemic makes Ireland's implementation of the new EU Copyright Directive "all the more important", a senior IP law expert has said. Dr Mark Hyland, IMRO adjunct professor of intellectual property law at the Law Society of Ireland, said creative industries "are being badly hit by the

The Government should carry out a human rights impact assessment before extending coronavirus pandemic restrictions, a coalition of rights groups has said. In a letter sent to Taoiseach Leo Varadkar this week, eight organisations say they accept that it "may be necessary" to extend restrictions beyo

A senior barrister was forced to pick up the phone in front of three judges yesterday, as courts continue to adapt to the coronavirus pandemic with remote hearings. Michael Delaney SC was in the middle of making a complex legal argument before the “virtual” Court of Appeal when an office

Global legal business DWF Group plc, with offices in Belfast and Dublin, has announced that it has secured an in-principle agreement to increase its committed revolving credit facilities and a relaxation of certain covenants with its lenders. This agreement will result in a secondary RCF of £1

Barrister Emma McIlveen makes the case for Online Dispute Resolution as Northern Ireland deals with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. It goes without saying that we are in unprecedented times. Recent guidance from the President of the Tribunals in Northern Ireland has provided that employment dis

Lady Hale's memoirs are to be published next year and will detail how “a little girl from a little school in a little village in North Yorkshire became the most senior judge in the United Kingdom”. The first female president of the UK Supreme Court, who retired earlier this year, has sig

Irish barristers have joined legal colleagues around the world in condemning the arrests of lawyers and democracy activists in Hong Kong. The Council of The Bar of Ireland wrote to Hong Kong's chief executive Carrie Lam and to China's embassy in Ireland following the arrests of Martin Lee QC and Dr