It has been announced that the controversial Companies Acts directors' compliance statement obligation will be amended in very significant ways. full text

Recent developments in the professional rules for auditors may have significant implications for shareholders in some private companies. full text

Not all of the implications of the pan-EU implementation of the Prospectus Directive are yet clear. Indeed, some of the outstanding questions are fundamental: for example, it is uncertain whether the Directive regulates the administration of employee share plans. full text

Health and safety law in Ireland has been revamped in a 2005 Act. The new legislation repeals and re-enacts many of the provisions of its 1989 predecessor, and of the 1993 regulations that supplemented it. However, the 2005 Act also extends the law in important ways. full text

Clients expect that communications with lawyers will be kept confidential. The law protects this confidence as it is in the interests of society that clients should be able to obtain legal advice without fear that their communications with their lawyers will be revealed subsequently in court. However, great care must be taken to preserve that privilege. full text

Several important developments have occurred in pensions law and regulation in recent months. Some have been prompted by the EU IORPS Directive, while others reflect ongoing policy reviews in Ireland. full text

Some common practices in Irish businesses may breach copyright. A few basic steps can help to ensure that a company stays on the right side of the law. full text

The introduction of divorce in the Republic of Ireland was a much-debated and controversial change in social policy and family law. However, the introduction of more lenient rules by means of EU law has received considerably less attention. full text

Tommy Hilfiger Europe Inc v McGarry (trading as Lifejacket) [2005] IEHC 66 (High Court)
A decision of the High Court gives helpful guidance on the scope of 'passing off', and provides a salutary warning to directors of companies that engage in manufacturing and retailing goods that are similar in name or appearance to items that are trade marked. full text

Beatty v Rent Tribunal [2005] IESC 66 (Supreme Court)
The Supreme Court has made an important pronouncement on the potential liability of statutory tribunals for negligence. full text

Mulcahy v Avoca Capital Holdings Ltd [2005] IEHC 136 (High Court)
The High Court has underlined that expert witnesses in litigation must be prepared to have their methodology and procedures examined in court. This is so even if the expert's methods are proprietary or otherwise are secret. full text