Lawyers' Safety And Wellbeing

Extra security precautions were put in place at Longford District Court last week after gardaí were tipped off about a planned acid attack, according to reports. Special measures were put in place during two court sittings in relation to a trial involving known gangsters, the Irish Independen

There were violent scenes requiring the intervention of gardaí and security in the Four Courts yesterday, when the defendant in a defamation action was allegedly attacked and injured by a group of individuals who attended court. The individuals alleged to be involved had attended an action br

Bullying and sexual harassment is "rife in the legal profession", according to a new study which surveyed nearly 7,000 legal professionals from 135 countries. The International Bar Association (IBA) and international law firm Herbert Smith Freehills today launched the Us Too? – Bullying and Se

A rapist who followed a garda around a courtroom, shouting that he hoped she would "get run over by a bus", has been sentenced to an additional 20 months in prison. John Gavin, 31, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to threatening Garda Sergeant Amanda Flood at the Four Courts on 29 May

Bullying and sexual harassment of women in the legal profession is greatly exaggerated, the Lord Chief Justice has said. Lord Burnett of Maldon told the Lords Constitution Committee that a small minority of judges behaved badly towards female barristers and that there was no evidence of a wider prob

A man who admitted attempting to carry a knife into the Criminal Courts of Justice complex in order to attack a man who was looking for bail has been jailed for two years. Sam Maughan, 24, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possessing a Stanley blade intending to incapacitate a perso

A new convention on the profession of the lawyer has been proposed by the Council of Europe amid rising attacks on practitioners around the world. Every day, lawyers are harassed, threatened, prosecuted, imprisoned or even murdered, simply for carrying out their professional activities. In recent ye

A majority of Irish barristers have experienced aggression, threats or violence in the course of their work, according to a new survey. The Bar of Ireland surveyed 460 barristers last month in the wake of an incident in December which saw a man allegedly pull out a fake gun and hoax bomb during a fa