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Shoosmiths has announced the appointment of Sarah Ewing and John Palmer as real estate partners in the firm's Belfast office. Ms Ewing is an experienced real estate practitioner with particular expertise in residential development and acting for major retailers, while Mr Palmer is a respected projec

The Department of Justice has announced the appointment of Caroline Conway as Northern Ireland's new independent reviewer of criminal record certificates. Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK to provide screening of criminal record information through an independent reviewer, who can review c

Legislation providing for the May referendum on divorce has been approved by the Dáil and is now set to be considered by the Seanad. Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan and Culture Minister Josepha Madigan, a solicitor who has pushed for divorce reform, have welcomed the passage of the Thirty-e

Partner Darryl Broderick and trainee solicitor James Leahy at Ronan Daly Jermyn (RDJ) examine a new Court of Appeal ruling restating the law on passing off. Although passing off cases are a rare phenomenon in Irish courts there have been times when businesses have sought the litigation route to stop

The Hibernian Law Journal welcomed guests from across the legal profession to Blackhall Place for the conferral of the Hibernian Law Medals upon the 8th President of Ireland, Professor Mary McAleese, and former Supreme Court Justice, Ms Justice Catherine McGuinness.

A team of lawyers at Ronan Daly Jermyn (RDJ) advised University College Cork (UCC) on its successful High Court case against the Information Commissioner. Mr Justice Garret Simons overturned a decision of the Information Commissioner requiring UCC to disclose to RTÉ certain information about

ByrneWallace's banking and finance team has been shortlisted for a prestigious European award in connection with its work on a securitisation arrangement entered into by Permanent TSB plc (PTSB) for a portfolio of loans. The team's work on Project Glenbeigh has been shortlisted in the Structured Fin

A woman sued for defamation by her ex-husband over her claim on Facebook that he “tried to strangle me” has had her appeal unanimously allowed by the UK Supreme Court on the basis an ordinary reader of the post would have interpreted it as meaning the ex-husband had grasped the woman by

Bullying and sexual harassment of women in the legal profession is greatly exaggerated, the Lord Chief Justice has said. Lord Burnett of Maldon told the Lords Constitution Committee that a small minority of judges behaved badly towards female barristers and that there was no evidence of a wider prob

An Garda Síochána has announced it will follow in the footsteps of its Scottish and Northern Ireland counterparts by allowing Muslim gardaí to wear the hijab. Commissioner Drew Harris said he hoped the move "will encourage people from minority communities to join An Garda S&iacu

The judiciary in Zimbabwe has spent £120,000 on new powdered wigs in a move that has drawn widespread scepticism. The African country is in the midst of economic crisis, struggling with its highest inflation rate since 2008 and widespread fuel and medicine shortages.

The counterclaim for an order to compel a landlord to sell his tenant a half acre site on his land has been rejected by the High Court in circumstances where part of the alleged agreement in 1999 involved a cheque for €30,000, when the Euro only became legal tender in 2002. Concluding that the

Ms Justice Mary Irvine has been nominated by the Government for elevation to the Supreme Court. She previously served as a High Court judge from 2007 until 2014, when she was moved to the then-new Court of Appeal.

Belfast-based Mackenzie & Dorman Solicitors has announced the appointment of Jill McDowell as associate director and Shari Holmes as assistant solicitor. Ms McDowell trained with the firm and continues to expand her residential conveyancing, wills and elderly client practice.

The Department of Justice has announced the appointment of 12 lawyers to the Civil Legal Services Appeals Panels, which considers appeals regarding the granting of legal aid in civil cases. Ciaran Harvey, Jim Kitson, Charles Redpath and Htaik Win have been appointed as presiding members.