News

Growing up in care should be a “protected characteristic” in equality legislation, the UK government’s care tsar has said. Josh MacAlister, a former schoolteacher who founded social work charity Frontline, was tasked by the government with leading a review of children’s socia

Advisers stationed at GP surgeries, council offices, libraries, and other convenient locations can help more people get more timely access to civil justice, according to a new think tank report. The Social Market Foundation said that legal support for civil justice can better reach the those in need

Three drunken tourists who trespassed into a bear enclosure in Alaska have been jailed. The men were sentenced last week for the incident in 2018 which saw them wade into the Brooks River at the Katmai National Park and interrupt the salmon-loving bears' dinner.

Lawyer Stuart Anderson has been appointed as head of public affairs at the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry. As part of a new member service, Mr Anderson will lead NI Chamber's direct interactions with politicians, helping to shape the legislative agenda and supporting elected repre

A coffee shop in Florence has been fined €1,000 (£847) after a customer got angry over the price of an espresso. The customer called the police after being charged €2 (£1.70) for his decaffeinated coffee at Ditta Artigianale in the centre of the city.

Ireland will today assume the presidency of the Council of Europe, the home of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) and the continent's leading human rights body. Speaking ahead of the final meeting of Italy's presidency, Irish foreign minister Simon Coveney said Ireland "has always subscribed

A round-up of human rights stories from around the world. Yemen: Talks on now to extend two-month ceasefire, says UN envoy Hans Grundberg

The UK government has taken further legislative steps to ensure that abortion services are commissioned in Northern Ireland. The Department of Health and the Northern Ireland Executive were last summer given a 31 March 2022 deadline to ensure access to abortion services, which they have missed.

In-house lawyers are worried about business leaders underestimating reputational and compliance risks around sustainability, according to a new study from EY Law and the Harvard Law School Center on the Legal Profession. Only 15 per cent of respondents to a survey of 1,000 general counsel and chief

Ireland has been referred to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) over its failure to transpose the revised Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD). The revised AVMSD provides EU-wide media content standards for all audiovisual media, both traditional TV broadcasts and on-demand se

A barrister who sexually assaulted a younger colleague has won an appeal against his disbarment and will be allowed to return to the profession next year. Kevin Farquharson, who called to the Bar in 2011, was given a suspended six-month sentence in Cardiff Magistrates' Court last year after pleading

The risk of judicial review is seen by property industry professionals as one of the biggest obstacles to Ireland meeting its housing needs, according to a survey by Mason Hayes & Curran LLP. The business law firm surveyed more than 300 attendees at its Future of Property Conference, of whom 95

Belfast-based Cleaver Fulton Rankin has been shortlisted for the ‘Wellbeing at Work’ award at the Responsible Business Awards 2022. The Responsible Business Awards, run by Business in the Community NI, aim to recognise and reward businesses who are actively working to build better workfo

Mason Hayes & Curran LLP has announced a significant expansion with the appointment of 15 new partners this month. The business law firm said the new hires follow "exceptionally strong growth in 2021", when it saw its revenues increase by 23 per cent to €98 million.

Belfast firm MKB Law has announced the appointment of Andrew Lightburn as an associate director and head of the firm's employment law department. Mr Lightburn has over 20 years' experience practising exclusively in employment law, and is dual-qualified in England and Wales and Northern Ireland.