News

Northern Ireland's Justice Minister David Ford has met with the judges of the 2016 Justice in the Community Awards ahead of the close of nominations next month. Mr Ford has encouraged members of the public to submit nominations for the awards, which are now in their fifth year, by 1 February 2016.

The High Court has found that a family’s use of factory land in order to access their cottage does not constitute a legal right of way, as it arose out of the family’s connection to the factory, and subsequently out of a relationship of tolerance and reciprocity. The plaintiffs, known as Zopitar

Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald has commenced new legislation designed to dramatically reduce the number of people jailed for non-payment of fines.

Gerry McAlinden QC, chair of the Bar Council of Northern Ireland More than 800 cases have been held up in Northern Ireland's courts due to an ongoing row between lawyers and the Department of Justice over legal aid cuts.

A 21-year-old woman from Co Down will be tried for offences under the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 after allegedly procuring an abortion. The woman appeared at Belfast Magistrates' Court yesterday in relation to one charge of using the drugs Mifepristone and Misoprostol with intent to procur

Children's Minister James Reilly Children's Minister James Reilly is considering the establishment of a new body to regulate the appointment of guardians in child care cases, The Irish Times reports.

The State has agreed not to demolish buildings at the heart of a High Court case to save properties said to be linked to the 1916 Easter Rising during a two-week adjournment, the Irish Examiner reports. The 1916 Relatives Association launched legal proceedings seeking to have a number of buildings o

Tralee Circuit Court has ordered a recount of votes cast in the 2014 local elections for the Listowel electoral area in North Kerry following a landmark Supreme Court ruling last year. Judge Thomas E O'Donnell made legal history by ordering a recount "afresh" for the first time in the Irish courts.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court yesterday completed jury selection for the trial of four prominent bank officials whose case will be heard by an enlarged 15-member jury. More than 270 prospective jurors answered their summons by appearing at the court last Friday, but too many were ruled out for the t

The High Court has awarded a teenage boy €51,244.56 in damages, after a fire in his home caused by a Hotpoint dishwasher caused him trauma, anxiety and distress. The plaintiff was acknowledged by the court to have been diagnosed with mild intellectual disabilities, resulting in him requiring a spe

Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald Government ministers have agreed to bestow city and county councils with new powers to regulate planning of new licensed premises, such as pubs, off-licenses and nightclubs.

Darragh Mackin Lawyers acting for Irish citizen Ibrahim Halawa have said they are "deeply concerned" by the twelfth adjournment of his trial at a court in Egypt.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny Taoiseach Enda Kenny is expected to meet opposition parties early next week in order to finalise proposed legislation supporting the inquiry into certain IBRC transactions.

Irish and Northern Ireland solicitors made up 10 per cent of calls to a helpline for legal practitioners last year. LawCare received 907 calls from 496 lawyers and legal professionals from across Ireland and the UK last year, a slight increase on the 473 who called the helpline in 2014.

Alastair Ross, chair of the Northern Ireland Assembly's justice committee Northern Ireland prisoners made 8,848 complaints about prison conditions to the Northern Ireland Prison Service (NIPS) over the past 11 months, the Belfast Telegraph reports.