On 26 October 2023, the UK’s Online Safety Act received Royal Assent. Read more on the implications of this here.
BelfastThe Supreme Court has recently handed down its judgement in Sara Hossein Asset Holdings Ltd v Blacks Outdoor Retail Ltd, which will be of interest to commercial landlords and tenants in NI and persuasive to the NI judiciary. Read more on the decision here.
BelfastAfter first publication in June 2017, and further amendments in both January 2019 and October 2020, the NEC4 suite of contracts has again been updated with recommendations from industry experts. Read more on those updates here.
BelfastFollowing Brexit, the UK's obligations in respect of EU State Aid law ended. Instead under the Trade and Cooperation Agreement a temporary subsidy regime took over while the UK designed its permanent replacement. The UK's new Subsidy Control Act 2022, is set to come into force on 4 January 2023, replacing the EU State Aid regime. With parts of the Act already in force, the full Act
BelfastThe powers of departmental officials in Northern Ireland have been extended in a limited way with the introduction of the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation etc.) Act 2022 on 6 December 2022.
BelfastThe NEC form of contracts has now formally adopted voluntary clauses to address climate change considerations.
Litigation & Dispute Resolution BelfastIn view of a range of ongoing legislative efforts to address SLAPPs, we review the current position in Northern Ireland, and look ahead to some of the opportunities for and obstacles to prospective anti-SLAPP legislation in the jurisdiction, within the new legal context established by the Defamation Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 in our latest publication.
BelfastDuring the pandemic, the enactment of emergency legislation to tackle the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic changed the landscape for commercial landlords in respect of rent arrears.
BelfastGlobal supply chains have experienced turmoil over the last two years in the face of a global pandemic, Brexit and now most recently with a war on European soil.
ESG & SustainabilityAs part of our annual review of defamation law in the jurisdiction we examine two notable reported judgments from 2021 and, as the Northern Ireland Assembly’s legislative programme reaches the final stages, the nature of the reforms proposed by the Defamation Bill.
BelfastA new Commercial Hub Practice Direction (the Practice Direction) has been released, promoting a ‘new era’ for the management of commercial actions before the NI courts.
Litigation & Dispute Resolution BelfastLong awaited and overdue reviews of defamation laws in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland are expected to gather pace in the coming months.
Disputes
