News

A consultation on the use of diversionary disposals by the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) has been extended until March. The PPS is updating its guidance on the use of diversionary disposals, which were introduced to simplify and speed up dealing with less serious offending.

A judicial watchdog in England and Wales has given "formal advice" to a High Court judge who fell asleep during a hearing. Mrs Justice Judith Parker was investigated by the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office (JCIO) following "a complaint by parties in a case that she had fallen asleep during a h

A courthouse was evacuated after a lawyer showed up with an "abundance" of bed bugs falling out of his suit. The alarm was raised after someone in the courthouse said she could see "something crawling on his neck".

An application for third-party discovery pursuant to section 32 of the Administration of Justice Act 1970 of documents held by the Police Ombudsman of Northern Ireland has been refused in the High Court in Belfast. Stating that the documents may be relevant, Master Evan Bell said that on the balance

Solicitor Mary Henderson has joined the independent law centre at the Immigrant Council of Ireland. Ms Henderson, who previously worked in private practice in immigration law, is a long-time volunteer with FLAC and other access to justice projects, and previously worked at the Immigrant Council as t

Law graduate Alison O'Brien has been named this year's winner of the annual LK Shields Hugh Garvey Memorial Award for Intellectual Property Law.

The Master of the High Court, Edmund Honohan SC, has publicly challenged the president of the High Court to explain why he has been removed from debt cases, the Irish Independent reports. Mr Justice Peter Kelly signed an order last month to remove debt cases from the master's list with effect from M

Ms Justice Mary Laffoy, president of the Law Reform Commission, addressed law students at the 11th Annual Trinity College Law Student Colloquium on Saturday. The event, organised by TCD Law School students, included a full day of legal presentations and discussions, with students from Ireland, the U

A retired English judge researching early woman lawyers will speak in Dublin next week on the subject of Averil Deverell BL, the first woman to practise as a member of the Irish Bar. Judge Liz Goldthorpe will deliver the 2019 Spring Discourse hosted by the Irish Legal History Society (ILHS) next Fri

The son of murdered Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane has said his father was killed to "silence other lawyers", The Irish News reports. John Finucane, himself a lawyer with Belfast-based Finucane Toner Solicitors, spoke at an event at St Mary's University College in west Belfast on Saturday to ma

A sixteenth-century manuscript which contains some of Ireland's oldest surviving literature and legislation will be discussed at a two-day seminar in Dublin next month. The Book of Ballycummin, held by the Royal Irish Academy (RIA) since the 1850s, preserves "legal texts, poetry and wisdom literatur

The Irish Times has published an obituary for construction lawyer Max Abrahamson, who passed away last October at the age of 85. Mr Abrahamson, who was born in Dublin and qualified as a solicitor in 1955, authored a leading textbook on engineering law, consulted on projects in more than 60 countries

The Prison Service in England and Wales is considering plans to house transgender prisoners in separate prison wings, The Sunday Times reports. Justice minister Ed Argar confirmed that new guidelines would be issued after a trans woman who had not undergone gender reassignment surgery was convicted

An elderly crime wave appears to be sweeping Japan because pensioners are seeking jail time in a bid to save money. Over-65s now make up one in five convictions in the Asian country, up from one in 20 just over two decades ago.

A member of An Garda Síochána has been awarded over €40,000 in damages for an injury to his finger caused by a detainee who became violent while being photographed and fingerprinted. Describing the Detective Garda as a genuine officer and “not a moaner whatsoever”, Mr