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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

The International Protection Appeals Tribunal (IPAT) has more than tripled its output of decisions in two years, according to its latest annual report. Chairperson Hilkka Becker said last year "could be considered the tribunal’s first year of reaching full operational capacity with the tribuna

A large-scale strategic housing development in Limerick has been refused planning permission after environmental objections were raised. The development at Canal Bank, Corbally would have comprised seven separate blocks of build-to-rent and student apartments, ranging in height from six to 10 storey

A man who stole a 2,000-year-old Roman relic has returned it as he believes "the end of the world is near” and wants to clear his conscience. Moshe Manies, who returned the 'ballista stone' on behalf of the man who stole it, posted about the relic on Facebook.

Far-right activists John Waters and Gemma O'Doherty have been refused leave for a judicial review of the emergency coronavirus laws. In a judgment handed down by the High Court this morning, Mr Justice Charles Meenan said the applicants "have made no arguable case against the notice parties".

A judge has complained that she is struggling to hear through thick screens installed in the Four Courts in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Perspex screens, around half-an-inch in thickness, have been installed in front of the bench in some courtrooms to protect public health.

Former Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams has won a UK Supreme Court appeal against his two convictions in 1975 for attempting to escape from detention. In the judgment delivered this morning, the Supreme Court unanimously held that the interim custody order (ICO) made in respect of Mr Adams in

Over a quarter of applications to the interim payment scheme set up by the legal aid agency in response to the coronavirus pandemic have been rejected. As of Monday night, the Legal Services Agency (LSA) had processed 264 requests under the COVID-19 interim payments scheme which came into operation

A number of undefended divorces are set to be heard via remote hearings under a new pilot in Belfast. The announcement from the Recorder of Belfast, Judge David McFarland, comes less than a week after the first divorces were granted in remote hearings south of the border.

A round-up of deals involving Irish law firms. Submit your deals to newsdesk@irishlegal.com. Arthur Cox has advised Illumina Ventures and HLM Venture Partners on their investment in a company aiming to produce and supply at-home COVID-19 testing kits.