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Northern Ireland's planning system is "lagging badly" behind the rest of the UK in its response to the COVID-19 pandemic by failing to introduce remote hearings, construction industry groups have said. In a joint letter to the Planning Appeals Commission (PAC), nine industry groups expressed "grave

Matheson has been named both Irish Tax Firm of the Year and Irish Transfer Pricing Firm of the Year by the International Tax Review. The ITR's European Awards are widely recognised as one of the benchmarks for excellence in the field of international tax advice.

The next government has been urged to prioritise the establishment of a Penal Policy Consultative Council following the publication of new research on reoffending. The Department of Justice's commitment to evidence-based policy-making "could be best demonstrated" through pursuing the move, first rec

By David O’Brien, founder, Commssolver PR As the Fake News phenomenon begins to recede in favour of Trusted Sources, one of the most fascinating dynamics of our current situation managing the Covid-19 pandemic, is the front and centre return of Expertise.

Gardaí should lose the power to arrest people for failing to comply with public health guidelines in less than two weeks, the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) has said. The rights group has called for the policing powers introduced under the Health Act 1947 (Section 31a – Tempor

The reconstitution of the Northern Ireland Guardian Ad Litem Agency's (NIGALA) solicitor panel has been postponed for at least six months. The current 95-solicitor panel, constituted in 2015, is approaching the end of its five-year term and a new panel was due to be constituted.

Law student Naomi Foale emerged as the biggest winner as the Trinity College Law Review announced its 2020 prize-winners. Ms Foale's article, Back to the Future: How Well Equipped is Irish Employment Equality Law to Adapt to Artificial Intelligence?, discusses "classification bias" within employment

Expiring driving licenses will be extended for an additional seven months under EU legislation taking effect in Northern Ireland. The new arrangements, which do not apply to taxi driver licenses, will be put in place in place in the coming days, Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon said.

A six-year-long court battle over the sound of cowbells on a small dairy farm in rural Bavaria has finally come to an end. Legal proceedings were brought against the farm near Munich by a couple who moved in next door in 2011 and said the cowbells were too loud and disrupted their sleep.

Mason Hayes & Curran has become the largest law firm in Ireland to operate as a limited liability partnership under new rules which came into effect last year. The business law firm, with 95 partners based in Dublin, was authorised by the Legal Services Regulatory Authority (LSRA) to operate as

Ireland's data protection watchdog has reached significant milestones in separate investigations into Twitter, WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook. In a statement, the Data Protection Commission (DPC), led by commissioner Helen Dixon, has submitted a draft decision in relation to its inquiry into Twitt

The use of cognitive behavioural therapy techniques have had a "significant" impact on reoffending, according to new government research. The new report on recidivism, produced by criminology expert Professor Ian O'Donnell of UCD Sutherland School of Law, was published by the Department of Justice t

Matheson, in association with Trinity College Dublin (TCD), has named law student Niall Brennan as the 2020 winner of the firm’s Diversity and Inclusion Scholarship. The scholarship is open to second-year undergraduate law students at TCD who are either on the Higher Education Access Route (HE

The interim advocate for victims of historical institutional abuse has said he will "consider his position" if he is found to be culpable for a recent data breach. The names and email addresses of 250 victims were inadvertently circulated with an email newsletter from Brendan McAllister's office las

Our fortnightly round-up of deals involving Irish law firms. Submit your deals to newsdesk@irishlegal.com. Arthur Cox and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer have advised Phoenix Tower International on a major agreement with eir to own and operate wireless tower sites.