News

Hairdressers are facing fines of up to €500 if they breach an Italian town's new ban on the traditional practice of double-washing hair. Castenaso, a small town of around 15,000 people near Bologna, has cracked down on double-washing to save water as the region suffers a drought emergency, The

Staff and clients from Carson McDowell have raised £10,000 for the firm's charity partner, Samaritans Belfast, following activities including a retro-styled sports day at CIYMS Rugby Club. The event saw 120 people from 18 client teams participate in traditional school sports, including th

The final report of the long-running inquiry into the Nama scandal has been delayed again until February 2023. The commission, established in 2017, is investigating the National Asset Management Agency’s (Nama) disposal of its Northern Ireland loan portfolio, known as Project Eagle, in a &euro

A referendum on Ireland's participation in the European Unitary Patent system and Unified Patent Court (UPC) could take place in 2023 or 2024, the government has said. Of EU member states, 24 have signed up to the Agreement on a Unified Patent Court (UPCA) and 16 of those have ratified the agreement

Barbara Cotter, a solicitor and former senior partner at A&L Goodbody, has been appointed as the chairperson of the government's Top Level Appointments Committee (TLAC). The non-statutory committee, established in 1984, recommends candidates to ministers and government for the most senior positi

Eight in 10 Crown Court hearings suffered disruption yesterday as criminal barristers in England and Wales began their first day of strike action over legal aid pay. The leaders of the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) said that at least six murder trials at the Old Bailey had been delayed due to the s

Legal academic Professor Shane Kilcommins has been appointed to the role of provost and deputy president at the University of Limerick (UL). He will take on the role from Friday 1 July, succeeding Professor Nigel Healy, who was appointed interim provost in late 2020.

A court has been set afizz with the presence of a defendant who turned up sipping champagne. Cameroon's former defence minister appeared in court in the capital, Yaoundé, to face corruption charges – with a glass in hand.

Our regular round-up of deals involving Irish law firms. Submit your deals to newsdesk@irishlegal.com. Arthur Cox has partnered with Kirkland & Ellis LLP to advise Brookfield Asset Management on the completion of its acquisition of the entire issued share capital of Hibernia REIT plc for €1

Controversial legislation which will allow the UK government to unilaterally disapply parts of the Northern Ireland protocol has cleared a major parliamentary hurdle. The Northern Ireland Protocol Bill was approved at second reading in the House of Commons by 295-221, with Conservative and DUP MPs v

Former solicitor Jim Fitzpatrick, best known as the long-standing proprietor of The Irish News, has passed away at the age of 93. Born in Belfast in 1929, Mr Fitzpatrick was admitted as a solicitor in 1954 and began to practise civil law in the firm established by his father.

Law firms in Northern Ireland will shortly receive a free copy of a new book celebrating one hundred years of the Law Society of Northern Ireland. The publication was officially launched yesterday at a ceremony in the Great Hall at Parliament Buildings Stormont, attended by over 120 members of the l

Criminal barristers across England and Wales have begun strike action in protest over inadequate legal aid fees. The Criminal Bar Association (CBA) refused the offer of a 15 per cent uplift in fees, saying it was insufficient in the wake of deep cuts to the legal aid budget and pointed out that it w

Traditional partnerships are waning as figures show most law firms have adopted limited company structures for tax purposes, The Times reports. Research by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) indicates that 53 per cent of firms south of the border are limited companies – an increase of a

LK Shields Solicitors has announced the appointment of Aideen Burke as a partner and the firm's new head of intellectual property, technology, media and data privacy. The appointment marks Ms Burke's return to the firm following a number of years working as legal counsel for an internationally renow