News

Belgium has said it will invoke a 350-year-old treaty allowing for Flemish fishermen to fish in British waters if a post-Brexit fishing deal cannot be struck. The charter, which was rediscovered in Belgian archives in the 1960s, was issued by King Charles II in 1666 as thanks to the city of Bruges f

The Court of Appeal has ruled that the co-founder of Bula Mine, who failed in his bankruptcy appeal, must pay costs. Background

Global law firm DLA Piper has announced the appointment of Matthew Cole as a partner in the firm's corporate practice in Dublin. Mr Cole will join the firm at the end of 2020 from rival firm A&L Goodbody, where he is a corporate partner.  His practice focuses on M&A and equity capital m

Belfast firm Harte Coyle Collins Solicitors has announced the appointment of Caitlín Brown as a family law and criminal defence solicitor. Ms Brown, a Belfast native, will qualify as a solicitor this year after a two-year apprenticeship with a firm in west Belfast.

Privacy and data rights activist Max Schrems has brought a High Court challenge in Dublin aimed at halting the Data Protection Commissioner's probe into Facebook Ireland's transfer of data to its US-based parent. Mr Schrems has brought judicial review proceedings because of his real and immediate co

The Public Interest Law Alliance (PILA), a project of legal rights group FLAC, has provided pro bono support to over 300 NGOs in its first decade, according to a new report. The impact report, covering the period from PILA's establishment in 2009 to 2019, was launched this morning at an online event

The UK government has apologised to the family of murdered Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane for taking nearly two years to respond to a landmark UK Supreme Court ruling on their case. The Supreme Court ruled in February 2019 that the state has failed to deliver an Article 2 compliant investigation int

Mason Hayes & Curran LLP partner Niall Michel and trainee Kate Moloney consider a ruling in which the High Court confirmed its role in reviewing the findings of misconduct. Recently, in Law Society of Ireland v Daniel Coleman1, the High Court provided guidance on the respective scope of:

A prominent crime reporter has lodged a complaint with the Police Ombudsman of Northern Ireland over the PSNI's alleged failure to investigate a threat against her newborn son. Patricia Devlin, an award-winning journalist who works for the Sunday World, received a Facebook message in October 2019 in

The Northern Ireland Prison Service (NIPS) has replaced much of its vehicle fleet with electric vehicles, helping to reduce its vehicle maintenance costs by a half in three years. The Prison Escorting and Court Custody Service (PECCS) based at Maghaberry Prison maintains and services a fleet of 99 p

Sexual orientation discrimination cases have increased 165 per cent since 2015, according to new data from compliance training specialist DeltaNet International and the Ministry of Justice (MoJ). The study analysed over 120,000 discrimination cases that went to employment tribunals and included case

A leading member of the parody Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster is facing up to six years in prison for alleged illegal political activities. Mikhail Iosilevich, the Russian head of the fake religion whose followers call themselves "Pastafarians", is accused of links to a banned Russian opposi

The High Court has granted an adoption order without the input of the natural father in circumstances where he did not have a relationship with the child, and where he had not responded to the adoption proceedings. Background

Around a dozen-and-a-half solicitors have made Irish legal history after being formally granted patents of precedence and given the designation of senior counsel. In a series of small online ceremonies on Friday, the honour traditionally reserved for barristers was bestowed on 17 of their solicitor

Lawyers have welcomed an extension of jury trials to include a total of six court venues across Northern Ireland. Trials are now taking place in the Laganside Courts in Belfast as well as in Antrim, Craigavon, Newry, Coleraine and Dungannon Courthouses.