News

Most in-house lawyers have yet to form an opinion for or against Ireland's participation in the new Unified Patent Court (UPC), a survey by Mason Hayes & Curran suggests. The business law firm surveyed 240 lawyers from various sectors, finding that two-thirds (66 per cent) had not decided how to

The US is set to reclassify cannabis as a less dangerous drug in a move which is being heralded as a historic shift, but one which is unlikely to impact the criminal justice system. US Attorney General Merrick Garland has formally recommended that cannabis be moved from its current "Schedule I" clas

A large piece of a plane which dramatically fell off mid-flight turned up in the back garden of a lawyer suing the plane's manufacturer over unrelated safety issues. New York attorney Jake Bissell-Linsk, whose firm is suing Boeing in relation to an incident in January where a plane door blew off mid

Ministers have agreed to change the law to allow failed asylum seekers to be returned to the UK. A bill to amend the International Protection Act 2015 will be brought to the Oireachtas after the High Court found in March that the UK's post-Brexit designation as a safe country for asylum returns was

Ronan McLoughlin has been elected by the Dublin partners of international law firm DAC Beachcroft as the new location head for its Irish office. Mr McLoughlin takes over today from Lisa Broderick, who took up the top role in 2018, for an initial three-year term.

Ireland should not "mimic the UK" by seeking to turn away asylum seekers, human rights campaigners have said amid an escalating row over arrivals to Ireland from the UK. The Irish government has said it believes around 80 per cent of international protection applicants who have arrived in Ireland in

Matheson lawyers were among participants in the Savills Ireland Cork Charity Challenge in aid of The Crann Centre which took place at Penrose Dock last week.

Legislation giving homeowners 30 years to bring compensation claims in relation to defective buildings will be brought to the Northern Ireland Assembly shortly. Communities minister Gordon Lyons yesterday confirmed that the Executive had approved the proposed Defective Premises Bill, which will "bri

The European Commission has launched action against 20 airlines for allegedly spreading "vague or false" claims about the environmental impact of their flights. The airlines, which have not been named, have been told to bring their practices in line with EU consumer laws within 30 days.

The English courts have been confronted with the question of whether severe rain that caused a Butlin's camp to close was a storm or a flood. Last September, Butlin's biggest camp, in Somerset, was forced to close following a deluge of rain.

Personal injury lawyers have expressed disappointment with the outcome of a consultation carried out ahead of a review of Northern Ireland's personal injury discount rate. The Department of Justice recently published its response to a consultation on the parameters for the 2024 review of the rate, w

The Legal Aid Board has set out its plans to enhance the delivery of civil legal aid and family mediation services to the public over the next three years. The statement of strategy for 2024–2026 places a strong focus on community service, alternative dispute resolution, and civil justice refo

Scottish solicitors are abandoning talks on reforms to legal aid, having "lost confidence" in the Scottish Government after progress stalled for two years. The Law Society of Scotland said it would no longer participate in discussions on the creation of a review mechanism for legal aid fees, Scottis

Matheson has become the first organisation in Ireland to achieve the Investors in Diversity Gold accreditation from the Irish Centre for Diversity for a third time. The firm, which became the first organisation to receive the top accreditation in 2020, remains the only law firm in Ireland to hold th

Dermot Durack, associate director at Quigg Golden, has been appointed as chairperson of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb) Ireland. Mr Durack is a chartered quantity surveyor, arbitrator, adjudicator and mediator and one of three Quigg Golden employees who are members of the Construction