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Having thought about truth, Benjamin Bestgen now considers lies. See his last jurisprudential primer here. In Gulliver’s Travels, Jonathan Swift lets Captain Gulliver explain to the Houyhnhnms, a race of highly intelligent horses dedicated to reason and truth, that lawyers are: intrinsically c

Ireland's prison service is submitting guidance to the World Health Organisation (WHO) after avoiding a single confirmed case of COVID-19 among prisoners and staff. Prisons in Northern Ireland, England and South America have contacted the Irish Prison Service (IPS) for advice on keeping the virus ou

Prison officers, health care and education staff have been commended for "remarkable progress" in improving performance and outcomes at Hydebank Wood Secure College and Ash House women’s prison. However, the new independent inspection reports also raise concerns about efforts to tackle the sup

Plans by the billionaire ruler of Dubai to build a lodge at his Scottish Highland retreat have been refused by councillors. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum wanted to develop the building at Inverinate in Wester Ross to house his large family.

The Supreme Court has granted declaratory reliefs to a woman who claimed that her constitutional and ECHR rights were breached when the clinical director of the Central Mental Hospital declined to facilitate variations to the conditions of her release. The court held that she is not entitled to dama

The Bar Council of Ireland should be slapped with a €2 million bill and asked to pay market rent for the continued use of the Law Library building at the Four Courts or be evicted to make way for a family courts complex, a barrister has said. Eugenie Houston, a practising barrister "who is inde

A bail supervision scheme which offers an alternative to remand detention for young people charged with criminal offences has been extended to courts in Cork and Limerick. Children's Minister Dr Katherine Zappone has signed a contract with Extern for the continuation and expansion of the Bail S

Criminal penalties for breaking restrictions on movement introduced to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic have been scrapped. New regulations which came into force yesterday do not include a criminal penalty for people travelling more than 20 kilometres outside of their county.

A criminal defence lawyer who criticised safety measures at a specialist COVID-19 custody suite established by the PSNI in Belfast has bought his own personal protective equipment (PPE). Joe Rice, senior partner at John J. Rice & Co Solicitors, told the Belfast Telegraph that his firm has bought

The same household rule has been removed from Northern Ireland's criminal injuries compensation scheme, Justice Minister Naomi Long announced today. The changes to the Northern Ireland Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2009 will bring Northern Ireland in line with the compensation scheme for vic

Police powers used to fine hundreds of people at Black Lives Matter protests in Northern Ireland over the weekend came into force just hours before the protests began, it has emerged. Amnesty International and the Belfast-based Committee on the Administration of Justice (CAJ) have voiced concerns ov

A crowdfunded legal challenge is being brought against ministers after they refused to order an investigation into the shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) for NHS staff during the coronavirus pandemic. The applicants, including the Good Law Project, led by Jolyon Maugham QC, are seeking

Matheson has announced a new partnership with online platform provider InsiderSherpa to deliver its virtual summer internship programme. The firm is one of a number of Irish law firms that have developed a virtual programme for summer interns in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions.

Disabled prison officers have a right to reasonable workplace accommodations to facilitate their work, judges have ruled. The High Court ruled this morning that the Labour Court was wrong in law to find that the Irish Prison Service (IPS) had a blanket exemption in relation to providing reasonable a

Co Wexford solicitor Anthony F. O'Gorman has given undertakings to the High Court not to practise as a solicitor. Mr O'Gorman, who has wound down his practice in Gorey, yesterday avoided being struck off the roll of solicitors, The Irish Times reports.