Coronavirus

William Fry partner Alicia Compton and associate Karen Hennessy look into the new travel restrictions and what employers need to consider if their employees are travelling for work. In recent weeks the government has ramped up its efforts to restrict travel to and from Ireland to curb the spread of

A further 50 courtrooms across the State will be fitted with technology to facilitate remote and "hybrid" court hearings in the coming year as the Courts Service continues to rapidly modernise in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic. Ambitious plans to expand the use of technology in the courts system

A growing backlog in Northern Ireland's employment tribunals is creating an access to justice crisis, lawyers have warned. Killymeal House, the home of the Industrial Tribunals and the Fair Employment Tribunal, is currently "closed until further notice".

Fines for non-essential international travel are set to be increased from €500 to €2,000. Taoiseach Micheál Martin yesterday told TDs that 60 per cent of those travelling through Irish airports "are returned Irish holidaymakers" and €500 may not be "a sufficient disincentive to

An additional courtroom will become available for Crown Court trials in the Laganside Courts this week as the Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service (NICTS) tries to boost capacity in the face of a growing trials backlog. Two courtrooms in the complex are being modified to allow for trials to

Gardaí can fine residents of Northern Ireland for making non-essential trips south of the border under new regulations now in effect. Residents of Northern Ireland were previously able to avoid punishment if stopped by gardaí under Covid-19 regulations, but will now have their name and

In a landmark judgment, the High Court has ruled in favour of four pub owners who claimed that FBD Insurance was required to cover their losses for the enforced closure of business during the coronavirus pandemic. Giving the judgment, Mr Justice Denis McDonald said that the proper interpretation of

Northern Ireland's police watchdog has launched an investigation after an "altercation" involving an arrest at a memorial marking the 29th anniversary of a mass shooting. Mark Sykes, one of the survivors of the deadly 1992 shooting at the Sean Graham bookmakers on Ormeau Road, was arrested on Friday

William Fry partners Louise Harrison and Nuala Clayton examine a case in which the rejection of an employee's request to work from home constituted constructive dismissal. In a recent decision, the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) found that an employee was constructively dismissed when her empl

Denmark has become the first country in the world to announce an official "vaccine passport" scheme allowing those vaccinated against Covid-19 to travel abroad. From the end of February, those holding the so-called "corona passport" will be able to travel abroad, relieving pressure on companies whos

Family lawyers have welcomed the commencement of remote family court hearings this week. Mr Justice John Jordan, the judge in charge of the family list of the High Court, has published a notice setting out the court's approach to remote hearings from yesterday.

The High Court has refused to grant an interlocutory injunction to allow the Irish Coursing Club (ICC) to hold races during Level 5 lockdown. The court said that it did not have jurisdiction to grant to injunction because the court would be directing the Minister for Health to legislate in prescribe

Juries should be cut from 12 members to seven in order to clear the Covid-19 backlog of criminal cases in England and Wales, Labour has said. The call follows a joint report from the police, prosecutors, prisons and probation inspectorates, which said the "unprecedented and very serious" backlog in

Eamon Harrington, dispute resolution partner at Comyn Kelleher Tobin, looks at how Covid-19 and Lockdown 3.0 is having an impact on the court system and on mediations to resolve disputes. The President of the High Court earlier highlighted the obligation of all stakeholders to ensure that the admini

Lawyers acting for Sir Van Morrison have launched a legal challenge against the blanket ban on live music in licensed premises in Northern Ireland. Belfast-based John J Rice & Co Solicitors is acting for the famous musician in a judicial review which argues the ban, which dates back to the begin