News

Northern Ireland's Labour Relations Agency (LRA) is to host a panel discussion on the challenges faced by LGBTQIA+ employees experiencing domestic violence and abuse. The 'Safe at Home, Safe at Work' event, taking place during Belfast Pride Festival 2024, will provide employers with insights and str

Equity partners at magic circle firm Linklaters have taken home nearly £2 million this year following record revenue and profit levels at the firm. Linklaters — which operates a small Dublin office advising exclusively on EU law — saw revenues of £2.1 billion in the year endi

Wide-ranging legislation on sexual offences and human trafficking has been approved by the Oireachtas. The Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Human Trafficking) Bill 2023 includes measures on sexual offence trials providing for victim and suspect anonymity, a right to legal representation where victi

Psychologists at Trinity College Dublin have launched a new research project exploring the experience of growing up with an imprisoned father. The study, being undertaken by a small team of researchers in the School of Psychology, Trinity College Dublin, will explore the experience of male children

The centuries-old distinction between "criminal contempt" and "civil contempt" will be scrapped in England under proposals set out by the Law Commission of England and Wales. 'Contempt of court' refers to a wide variety of conduct that may impede or interfere with the administration of justice, for

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has dropped charges against an Irish woman who was facing trial for attempted suicide and alcohol consumption. Tori Towey, 28, will be allowed to return to Ireland after UAE officials confirmed that a travel ban which had been imposed on her has now been lifted.

Patrick Leonard SC has been appointed as a vice-chair of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Commission on Arbitration and ADR steering committee. Mr Leonard is one of 12 vice-chairs appointed from different jurisdictions in recognition of their status as leading professionals in their respe

Greek authorities have begun issuing €350,000 fines in a major crackdown on unlicensed tourist beaches. Tourist companies have been accused of effectively taking over entire public beaches by installing and renting out deckchairs and parasols at an expensive rate.

Patents of precedence have been granted to 27 barristers and seven solicitors, allowing them to use the title of senior counsel. Just over a third (35 per cent) of the new senior counsel are women, a slight increase on last year but well short of 2022, when more women than men were granted the title

Seán Guerin SC has been elected as the next chairperson of the Bar Council, succeeding Sara Phelan SC in the role from September 2024. A qualified barrister since 1997 and senior counsel since 2013, Mr Guerin practises mainly in public law, including criminal, regulatory and administrative la

Doubt has been cast on the convictions of English nurse Lucy Letby for the murder of babies in her care on the basis the expert opinions on which the jury relied do "not stand up to scrutiny". An article, which The Guardian has now published in the wake of Letby's retrial for the murder of Baby K, s

A court in south-west Spain has sentenced 15 schoolboys to a year's probation after they created and spread AI-generated images of their female peers. Police began investigating the case last year after parents in the Extremaduran town of Almendralejo reported fake and inappropriate images of their

Criminal barristers gathered outside courthouses across the State yesterday as they withdrew services to pile pressure on the government over fee restoration. Irish Legal News yesterday reported from the largest gathering at the Criminal Courts of Justice in Dublin.

An Irish woman is being prosecuted in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for attempting to take her own life as a result of alleged domestic abuse, according to her family. Human rights lawyer Radha Stirling, CEO of campaign group Detained in Dubai, is supporting the family of 28-year-old Tori Towey, wh

A prison in Brazil has swapped guard dogs for geese — which authorities say are cheaper and more effective. The São Pedro de Alcântara Penitentiary in Brazil's southern state of Santa Catarina recruited the nine "geese agents" late last year.