News

Ronan Hynes, partner at Sellors, considers how the coronavirus pandemic has accelerated the transformation of the justice sector. COVID-19 has reminded us how globalised the world has become, how interconnected we all are and the role that technology will play in our future. The World Economic Forum

Ireland's human rights watchdog has called on political parties forming the next government to safeguard rights in its response to the coronavirus pandemic. In a letter sent to party leaders, acting chief commissioner Tony Geoghegan said Ireland's "legal human rights and equality norms" should "cont

Belfast-based legal academic Dr Cheryl Lawther will conduct research at Berkeley School of Law after winning a prestigious grant. Dr Lawther, a senior lecturer in law at Queen's University Belfast, won a Fulbright Irish Scholar Award, providing up to 12 months of funding for scholars to conduct rese

Virtual prison visits have been rolled out across Northern Ireland's prisons following the suspension of in-person visits during the coronavirus pandemic. The video-link facilities introduced at Maghaberry Prison, Magilligan Prison and Hydebank Wood allow for 20-minute "visits" between prisoners and

A man was caught impersonating a garda after attempting to pull over undercover officers, gardaí have said. The man, who has not been arrested, had blue lights on his vehicle and signalled another car to pull over without realising it was an unmarked patrol car, the Irish Independent reports.

The Supreme Court has allowed the appeal of a man who absconded from Shelton Abbey and lived “in plain sight” for five years before being apprehended and re-arrested by An Garda Síochána.  Background 

Solicitor MaryRose McGovern has been promoted to deputy financial services and pensions ombudsman. Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe yesterday appointed Ms McGovern to take up the new role as deputy ombudsman from 20 April 2020, as well as reappointing Ger Deering as the ombudsman.

Proposals to limit legacy investigations in order to protect former British soldiers from "vexatious claims" are incompatible with the UK's human rights obligations, a new report has warned. Professor Kieran McEvoy of Queen's University Belfast School of Law has led work by a team of legal experts t

Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan has led tributes to children's rights advocate Norah Gibbons, who has passed away following illness. Ms Gibbons, a qualified social worker, played a key role in a number of child abuse inquiries and was the inaugural chair of Tusla from 2014 to 2018.

Faculty and students at Dublin City University (DCU) have paid tribute to Dr Aonghus Cheevers, who has passed away at the age of 43. Dr Cheevers, whose research focused on mediation, joined DCU School of Law and Government as assistant professor of private law in September 2019.

Belfast City Council has put temporary measures in place to allow solicitors to continue to apply for property certificates via e-mail during the coronavirus pandemic. The move comes shortly after the Law Society of Northern Ireland raised concerns about the impact of the closure of the Land Registr

Justice Minister Naomi Long has paid tribute to "everyone working in the justice system" for their response to the coronavirus pandemic. Ms Long discussed the impact of COVID-19 on the criminal justice system with senior members of the judiciary, police and prosecution service at the Criminal Justic

Guidance on working from home securely has been published by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). The coronavirus pandemic has suddenly presented IT personnel and indeed all users with a set of cyber security challenges that, while not unique, are being experienced on a significantly larger s

The Court of Justice of the European Union has ordered Poland to suspend the disciplinary chamber of the Supreme Court.

The Northern Ireland Legal Quarterly published by Queen's University Belfast School of Law has expanded its open access archive. A total of 37 issues of the peer-reviewed international journal, dating from spring 2008 to winter 2016 (volumes 59 to 67) are now available online.