Coronavirus

Solicitors will have to collect contact details for contact tracing purposes from all people attending court on behalf of the party they represent under a new practice direction. Practice directions CC 26 and HC 94, which came into effect yesterday, place new obligations on solicitors "in the intere

Plans to introduce new Garda powers to close bars and restaurants which breach COVID-19 health regulations have been unveiled by ministers. The Criminal Justice (Enforcement Powers) (Covid-19) Bill 2020 will provide for three types of closure orders that may be issued to a bar or restaurant in circu

The Bar Council of Ireland has pushed back at claims from the head of the Courts Service that some practitioners have "made a fortune" during the COVID-19 crisis. In an interview published by The Irish Times last Thursday, Angela Denning, CEO of the Courts Service, suggested that while some lawyers

An Garda Síochána's routine use of spit hoods during the COVID-19 pandemic is incompatible with human rights law on torture or other forms of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment, civil liberties campaigners have said. The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) called

Tom O'Malley SC considers golfgate and calls for any backlash or punishment of public officeholders in attendance to be rational and proportionate. The backstory to what has become known as Golfgate is now well-known. The Oireachtas Golf Society held a two-day outing on 18 and 19 August at Ballyconn

Prisons in Northern Ireland will resume offender management programmes on a phased basis under a further easing of prison restrictions introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prisons will also work with their education partners to resume some class-based learning under the latest easing, which foll

DLA Piper has urged Irish employers to take a "proactive approach" to their employees' mental wellbeing as Ireland slowly begins reopening society and business. The global law firm has published a new report on mental health in the workplace, covering a range of topics including the legal aspects of

Former Chief Justice Susan Denham will lead an "unprecedented" investigation into the conduct of Mr Justice Séamus Woulfe, the newly-appointed Supreme Court judge, amid calls for him to step down. Mr Justice Woulfe, the former Attorney General, apologised on Friday for being one of more than

Mr Justice Séamus Woulfe, who was recently appointed to the Supreme Court, is facing increasing calls to quit for attending a controversial dinner which broke COVID-19 rules. The former Attorney General of Ireland apologised on Friday for being one of more than 80 people, including high-profi

The Irish prison system has had its first confirmed case of COVID-19 after a 23-year-old female remand prisoner tested positive. When the inmate arrived at the Dóchas Centre for Women in Dublin, she was required to self-isolate for 14 days and was tested for COVID-19 as part of standard proce

Mr Justice Séamus Woulfe, who was recently appointed to the Supreme Court, has apologised for attending a controversial dinner which broke COVID-19 rules. More than 80 people, including high-profile politicians and civil servants, attended the Oireachtas Golf Society dinner in spite of restri

Kildare solicitor Liam Moloney has been appointed as co-chair of the new COVID-19 litigation group within the Pan European Organisation of Personal Injury Lawyers (PEOPIL). Mr Moloney, managing partner at Moloney & Co Solicitors, joined the organisation's executive board earlier this year.

Les Allamby, chief commissioner for the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, considers how Northern Ireland is dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. How does a national human rights institution (NHRI) respond effectively to the COVID-19 pandemic when human rights and freedoms are curtailed?

Jury trials have resumed in Northern Ireland for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 crisis in March. Following physical alternations to allow jury trials to take place in line with public health guidelines, a jury trial has begun in Laganside Court in Belfast, and five more Crown Court v

Garda enforcement powers should not be reintroduced as part of the partial reinstatement of COVID-19 restrictions in Ireland, the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) has said. The civil liberties group reiterated the position it has held since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis that public he