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Global law firm Baker McKenzie has appointed the first two trainee solicitors from its Belfast Centre as associates in London. Luke Hackett and Lesley-Anne Wilson applied for a training contract through the Belfast office when the trainee programme was created in 2016.

The prosecution of a woman who bought abortion pills for her teenage daughter has been formally dropped following the decriminalisation of abortion in Northern Ireland yesterday. This morning, Belfast Crown Court formally discharged the mother from prosecution on two charges of unlawfully procuring

Employment law solicitor Richard Grogan of Richard Grogan & Associates examines a recent ruling on sexual harassment. In the case of Waterford Institute of Technology and Louise Walsh, the Labour Court has helpfully set out the law in very clear and precise terms.

New legislation is required to ensure that the case of journalist Dara Quigley, who took her life after CCTV footage of her without clothing was shared online, is never repeated, an Oireachtas committee has heard. The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) appeared before the Oireachtas justice co

Women who suffered from "a litany of failures" in cervical screening have received an official state apology. Speaking in the Dáil yesterday, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said the State was saying "sorry to those whose lives were shattered, those whose lives were destroyed, and those whose lives co

A marriage is not void in law just because the Minister of Justice has found it to be a marriage of convenience, the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission has told the Supreme Court. The human rights watchdog yesterday appeared before the court as an amicus curiae in a case expected to clarify

It is "unrealistic to expect complete doctrinal coherence" from judges, the president of the UK Supreme Court, Lady Hale, has said. In a speech delivered on Friday, the top judge said there is "a great deal of pragmatism" in public law and that pragmatic considerations are even "creeping into our ap

Senator Ivana Bacik received a standing ovation as she was named Woman Lawyer of the Year at a gala dinner organised by the Irish Women Lawyers Association (IWLA).

A "tough stance" from judges after the Daily Mail's infamous "enemies of the people" front page dissuaded the British press from further public attacks on the bench, the former Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales has said. Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd told The Brief that the papers had backed down af

Banks in Turkmenistan have been ordered by presidential decree to fund a patriotic dog breeding programme. President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov has told eight national banks that they must assist in his project to improve the pedigree of the Alabay dog breed, recognised as part of the national herita

A man who was given a custodial sentence of three-and-a-half years for burglarising an elderly man's home, during which he said “it’s alright Sir, I’m a Garda”, has lost an appeal against the severity of his sentence. Finding no error in principle, Mr Justice John Edwards sai

Dublin firm Philip Lee has announced the appointment of experienced corporate lawyer John Given as a partner. Mr Given has previously held leadership positions in the legal sector, including as senior partner and head of M&A at another leading Dublin-based firm.

European law firm Fieldfisher has announced plans to expand its presence in Belfast after doubling the size of its Legal Solutions Hub in the city's landmark Titanic Quarter. The firm has signed a lease with the building's landlords, Robinson Family Ltd, for an additional 3,000 foot of office space

A&L Goodbody (ALG) has announced the introduction of a first-of-its-kind trainee rotation in its pro bono practice with effect from next year. Lawyers and trainees at the firm deliver around 6,000 hours of free legal advice through its pro bono practice every year.

A last-ditch attempt to stop the decriminalisation of abortion in Northern Ireland by rushing a bill through Stormont in a single day has failed. The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), which is opposed to abortion in all circumstances, attempted to introduce the Defence of the Unborn Child Bill 2019 y