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New planning regulations will allow for the fast-tracking of temporary accommodation for Ukrainian refugees in Ireland. Certain classes of temporary development, including residential accommodation, undertaken by or on behalf of a State authority, to provide protection to displaced persons from Ukra

The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) has found that a bank's refusal to engage with a customer through an Irish Sign Language (ISL) interpreter constituted unlawful discrimination. The complaint was brought by Sofiya Kalinova against Permanent TSB after the bank refused to deal with a query she

Belfast solicitor Shannon Gawley has been elected to the executive committee of the European Young Bar Association (EYBA). Ms Gawley is a solicitor in the commercial team at Carson McDowell who is currently on secondment to Invest NI. She is a graduate of Queen's University Belfast and obtained her

Over 70 newly admitted solicitors have been welcomed to the profession in the Law Society of Northern Ireland's first in-person admissions ceremony since the start of the pandemic. The new lawyers were joined by masters, family and friends at the event, taking place in the Assembly Buildings in Belf

The Law Society of Northern Ireland has criticised the UK government over "attacks on lawyers" representing victims and survivors of the Troubles. In a short statement, the Law Society said it had formally lodged concerns about the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation Bill) and its "

The number of files submitted to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions has surged by 40 per cent since 2017, according to new figures. Both the volume and complexity of cases has increased in a period of "unprecedented growth in demands on the Irish prosecution service", the DPP, Catheri

An obituary of former solicitor Jim Fitzpatrick, best known as the long-standing proprietor of The Irish News, has been published by the Sunday Independent. Mr Fitzpatrick, who was admitted as a solicitor in 1954 and was a partner in James F. Fitzpatrick Solicitors, passed away last week at the

A man has fled after receiving 330 times his normal monthly salary due to a payroll error. The employee of Chilean food producer Consorcio Industrial de Alimentos received a paycheck of 165,398,851 Chilean pesos (around €170,000) for the month of May, Fox News reports — in excess of 300 t

Matheson, Ireland's largest law firm by headcount, has been authorised to operate as a limited liability partnership (LLP). The firm is the last of Ireland's major law firms to take advantage of the legal structure made available for the first time in 2019.

Solicitors in London are refusing to take on cases for defendants accused of assaulting emergency workers and harassment in a legal aid row with the UK government. Defence lawyers in the capital have already refused burglary cases on the basis legal aid fees are inadequate.

The landmark Supreme Court judgment in the Zalewski case led to delays in almost 400 cases before the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) last year, according to a new report. The WRC's annual report for 2021 notes that nearly 400 hearings were postponed and/or adjourned and held aside in the perio

The Irish Prison Service (IPS) will be placed on a full statutory footing with a non-executive board and other structures aligning with best practice under new government plans. The IPS is currently a non-statutory agency of the Department of Justice. It has approximately 3,500 staff and an annual b

Irish competition authorities will gain greater powers to fine companies for engaging in cartels, bid-rigging or abusive market practices under legislation welcomed as the beginning of a "new era in competition law enforcement". The Competition (Amendment) Act 2022, which has now been signed into la

The former Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland, Sir Declan Morgan, has been presented with an honorary degree by Queen's University Belfast. Sir Declan was honoured at a special celebration event at the university alongside graduates from arts, humanities and social sciences.

Ennis-based Michael Houlihan & Partners (MHP) and Limerick-based Sellors LLP have completed a merger forming the largest law firm in Co Clare and the largest dual-county legal team in the Mid-West region. The new firm, known as MHP Sellors, will be led by managing partner Stephen Keogh, who prev