A round up of today's other stories in brief...
170 years of law reports to be published electronically
THE Incorporated Council of Law Reporting for Ireland (ICLR) and Justis Publishing Ltd have recently concluded an agreement that will make the Irish Reports dating back to 1838 available as printable PDFs for the first time, replicating the original pagination.
Justis Publishing Ltd is a London-based electronic legal publisher.
Sinéad Ní Chúlacháin BL, editor of the Irish Reports at the ICLR, said: "We are delighted that we can finally make our comprehensive archive of 170 years of reports of the superior courts of Ireland available in a user-friendly, accessible PDF database, through our collaboration with Justis. The expanded Irish Reports on Justis will provide an invaluable tool for Irish lawyers and the addition of pre-independence reports will be of particular interest to other common law jurisdictions."
Material as far back as 1895 is almost in place, while PDFs are already up and running for the current database, she said. The full archive should be available before the summer is out and will extend the collection by over 7,000 cases.
Further information is available from Alistair King on 00 44 (0)20 7267 8989 or communications@justis.com.
Lunchtime seminars
The first in the Ballymun Community Law Centre series of lunchtime law seminars is "Trial by Jury" with Charles O'Mahoney on July 9th next.
It will examine the history of jury trials and outline the main provisions of the Juries Act 1976 and the role of jurors. There will be an examination of the challenges facing the jury system and the issue of representativeness. The Department of Justice announced last month that the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2006 will amend the Juries Act 1976 to remove the age limits for jury service. To book a place, please contact Christina McGranaghan in BCLC at 01-8625805 or by e-mail at information@bclc.ie.
Law Degree in Athlone
Athlone Institute of Technology is to offer a part-time honours degree in law from next September. This is the first time that such a course has been offered in the midlands.
The Bachelor of Arts degree will be offered over four years and will entitle students to exemptions from the Law Society's preliminary examinations. The programme will be offered on a part-time basis and it is envisaged that many of the students will be in employment. Classes will run for two evenings per week, with students undergoing continuous assessment as well as final examinations.
About 250 students have undertaken a Diploma in Legal Studies at AIT over the past eight years, but a lack of suitable progression opportunities in the region meant that many were unable to continue their studies to degree level, said Joe Lawless, head of the Department of Adult and Continuing Education.
"We received the support of the bar association in Westmeath, Offaly, Roscommon and Longford. Practising solicitors responded very favourably to the concept and lent their support to the curriculum. This is an important endorsement for the degree," he said.
Those interested should visit www.ait.ie or contact the Department of Adult and Continuing Education, AIT, on 090-6483050 or e-mail jking@ait.ie, jcooper@ait.ie or cburke@ait.ie.
The course fee is €2,500 for the academic year 2008/2009.