Planned reforms to the enforcement of child maintenance orders have been welcomed as a potential "game-changer" for parents. The Department of Justice today published a 26-page report setting out 26 recommendations for improvements to the current system of enforcement of child maintenance orders, wh
Keith Walsh Solicitors
Keith Walsh SC criticises government plans to expand the jurisdiction of the District Court. The Family Courts Bill 2022 provides for the establishment of a Family High Court, Family Circuit Court and Family District Court as divisions within the existing court structures. The aim is the development
A record number of divorce applications were brought to the High Court last year, with a 10 per cent increase in cases with more than €3 million in assets at stake, according to reports. There were 53 divorce cases initiated in the High Court and 5,498 in the Circuit Court in 2022, the Irish In
Family lawyers have been left disappointed by reports that the construction of the long-awaited family courts complex at Hammond Lane will not begin until 2026. The Hammond Lane site was earmarked in 2014 for the development, which is intended to replace the existing facilities for family law at Dol
A leading family lawyer has urged the government to begin work on the proposed new Hammond Lane family courts complex as the site remains untouched more than a year on from the project's approval. The long-promised Hammond Lane complex is intended to replace the existing facilities for family law at
Plans to give the District Court jurisdiction over a wide range of family law matters worth up to €1 million are "very likely to cause chaos in the District Court", a family lawyer has warned. Keith Walsh, a prominent family law solicitor in Dublin, told Irish Legal News that changes to the jur
There has been a "flight of solicitors" from the legal aid family law panel due to the poor rates paid for legal aid work, a leading family lawyer has said. Keith Walsh, who practises in Dublin, made the comments following the launch of the Legal Aid Board's annual report for 2021 yesterday.
Family lawyer Aidan Reynolds has been appointed as a partner at Keith Walsh Solicitors in Dublin. Mr Reynolds was the longest-serving partner at family law firm Gallagher Shatter, which dissolved on Saturday. He joined the firm in September 1988 and became a partner in October 1991.
Family law "remains the poor relation" in the Department of Justice's latest annual plan, a prominent Dublin solicitor has said, with little indication of what resources have been committed to reform. Justice Plan 2022, which was launched by justice minister Helen McEntee yesterday, sets out 159 act
Lawyers have cautiously welcomed a commitment to family law reform in the draft Programme for Government agreed by Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and the Green Party. The deal struck between the three parties after protracted talks includes the creation of a new dedicated family court within the exis
Concerns that parents could secretly record remote childcare hearings "must be weighed against the importance of cases continuing to be heard", a leading family lawyer has said. Speaking to Irish Legal News, solicitor Keith Walsh said he accepted that virtual hearings in the District Court "present
Family lawyer Keith Walsh has set out practical tips for solicitors attending remote hearings. The Dublin solicitor has been involved in a number of remote hearings, including some of the first divorce cases heard remotely in Dublin Circuit Court.
The granting of divorces in remote court hearings for the first time in Irish legal history has been welcomed as a "quantum leap from the 19th to the 21st century for courts, lawyers, judges and court users". Family lawyer Keith Walsh acted in a number of divorce cases heard remotely in Dublin Circu
New court rules required under the Domestic Violence Act 2018 have come into effect. The District Court Rules have been amended to facilitate the operation of the significant Act, which was commenced at the start of the year.
The Irish family law system is "in crisis", lawyers have told the Oireachtas joint committee on justice and equality. The committee heard evidence this morning from representatives of the Law Society of Ireland, the Children's Rights Alliance, Rape Crisis Network Ireland and Dr Conor O'Mahony of Uni