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Major changes to the planning system, including new restrictions on judicial review applications and legal costs, have moved forward with the publication of a draft bill. The government said its draft Planning and Development Bill 2022 will bring greater clarity, consistency and certainty to how pla

UK law firms and accountants that fail to do enough to prevent fraud are the target of the UK government's Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill. The government intends to introduce a new offence in the bill, when it makes its way to the Lords, that will be based on similar offences for bri

Lawyers and litigants involved in so-called strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) in England and Wales should be made to pay into a defence fund to protect freedom of speech, a Westminster committee has said. The House of Lords select committee on communications and digital said t

Twitter is facing a court battle with the company that manages the British monarch's public estate after allegedly failing to pay rent on its London office. The new lawsuit filed by the Crown Estate comes just weeks after the owner of Twitter's California HQ filed a similar complaint over unpaid ren

Business law firm Mason Hayes & Curran has announced the appointment of Brian McElligott as its new head of artificial intelligence and Jevan Neilan as head of its San Francisco office. Mr McElligott returns to the firm's technology team as a partner, having previously served as a partner in the

Dillon Eustace has congratulated its four newly-qualified solicitors on entering the next stage of their careers. Julia Mulllin, Sam Dillon, Anna Mulcair and Andrew Tyrrell have completed their training contracts with the firm.

Multi-specialist Belfast law firm Millar McCall Wylie has reported its “biggest year to date” across all aspects of its legal services, with particular growth noted in its corporate and media law departments. The firm was engaged to work on a number of major global productions throughout

Arthur Cox LLP has announced the three principal charity partners for which it will help to fundraise over the next three years. The firm selects its charity partners through a staff survey, with the top-ranking charities as voted by employees receiving support for three years.

Mícheál P O’Higgins SC, a former chair of The Bar of Ireland, has been nominated by ministers for appointment to the High Court bench. In addition, barrister Elizabeth Maguire SC and solicitor Simon McAleese have been nominated for appointment as judges of the Circuit Court.

“Imagine for a second yourselves, imagine the hard work we've all put into our studies and going to university and working so hard and, through that, making a life within a legal community. For these women, they succeed. They are the success stories in Afghanistan. Then imagine having it all r

Belfast-based McCartan Turkington Breen has appointed Cormac Rice as an associate in the firm's employment team. Mr Rice studied law and politics at Queen's University Belfast (QUB) before relocating to Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

The PSNI is deliberately delaying a decision on whether to investigate the alleged torture of the so-called "Hooded Men" until the UK government's controversial Troubles bill becomes law, a lawyer representing two of the men has suggested. The UK Supreme Court ruled in December 2021 that a PSNI deci

A woman who called a friend for help during a drunk driving arrest landed them both in hot water after police suspected she was drunk driving as well. The first woman, who was pulled over on suspicion of operating a vehicle while intoxicated, "called a friend for help during the stop", police said.

The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (NIHRC) has announced plans to engage closely with the Northern Ireland Youth Assembly over the coming year. Based at Parliament Buildings, the Youth Assembly is made up of 90 young people aged 13 to 17 years old and aims to influences decisions made by t

Less than a fifth of Irish employers understand their environment, social and governance (ESG) obligations, according to a new survey by William Fry. The firm surveyed over 400 employers and over 1,000 employees in Ireland for its new Employer's Guide to ESG, which was published today.