Opinion

Employment law solicitor Richard Grogan of Richard Grogan & Associates looks at the law surrounding gig economy workers. The issue of who is an employee arose in the Workplace Relations Commission in case ADJ-00020358 involving a trainer and a training agency. The trainer is a doctor.

Family lawyer Sarah Elliott of Worthingtons Solicitors examines the law when unmarried families break up. With Boris Johnson and his partner, Carrie Symonds becoming the first unmarried couple to enter 10 Downing Street, this reflects a growing trend, with cohabiting families becoming the fastest gr

Dr Eoin O'Dell, associate professor of law at Trinity College Dublin, examines a situation that has cropped up from the Circuit Civil Court in Dublin to the Court of Justice of the European Union in Luxembourg. Without my first cup of coffee, I don’t function in the mornings. So, it’s no

Edward “Ned” Kelly was a famous Irish-Australian bushranger and outlaw who was executed in November 1880. Part I, Part II and Part III of this series were published last year. As the pressure to capture Ned Kelly and his associates heightened, police began closely monitoring the homes of

Employment law solicitor Richard Grogan of Richard Grogan & Associates examines the law on protected disclosures. The issue of what a protected disclosure is arose in case ADJ-00023777. The Adjudication Officer in this case helpfully set this out, namely the issues set out in section 5 of the Pr

Ronan Daly Jermyn partner Jennifer Cashman and solicitor Alan Devaney consider whether a recent UK employment equality decision recognising ethical veganism as a belief protected by law could be replicated in Ireland. An employment tribunal in the UK found, in the case of Casamitjana v League Agains

Mason Hayes & Curran partner Deirdre Munnelly and associate Aisling Pierce examine a recent judgment criticising lawyers who refer their clients for specialist medical evaluation in the absence of a referral from the client’s primary treating doctor. On appeal to the High Court, two person

Jason O'Sullivan, solicitor and public affairs consultant at J.O.S Solicitors, comments on the tax on food supplements introduced in Ireland this month. The current bed shortage crisis escalating daily throughout Irish hospitals is unprecedented and unlikely to abate any time soon, despite questiona

Employment law solicitor Richard Grogan of Richard Grogan & Associates examines a recent Spanish court ruling on gig economy workers. On the 27th November, the High Court of Justice in Spain ruled that riders of Glovo, who are a competitor of Deliveroo, are employees and are therefore not self-e

Rose Wall, chief executive of Community Law & Mediation (CLM), examines the impact of the Housing Bill currently under consideration by the Oireachtas. The declaration by the Dáil in May last year that Ireland is facing a “climate and biodiversity emergency” would suggest that

Dr Michael Wardlow, chief commissioner of the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland, considers the future of welfare in Northern Ireland. The election is now over and, once again, there’s an attempt this week to restore a working government at Stormont. It is also now two years since the Eq

Barrister Andrew McKeown critically examines the proposals put forward by legal tech expert Professor Richard Susskind OBE in his latest book. Online Courts and the Future of Justice is a fascinating read for lawyers and non-lawyers alike. It is clear that Professor Susskind is sincerely interested

Arthur Cox partner Aaron Boyle and associate solicitor Sinéad Flanagan examine a complex area of the law on public procurement. If a public authority wishes to enter into a land development transaction, is it required to tender the contract under public procurement rules? That depends.

William Fry associate Patrick Murphy and trainee Leeane Grace consider the impact of a recent European court ruling on sports. On 15 November 2019, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) hosted a live broadcast of the hearing of Sun Yang, a Chinese swimmer who was accused of refusing or failing to

Dr Rob Hendry, medical director of the Medical Protection Society (MPS), sets out the medical profession's perspective on Mr Justice Charles Meenan's expert group on tort reform and the management of clinical negligence claims. In 2018 the State Claims Agency paid out nearly €270 million i