Mind your Trees
In this week’s article I am going to briefly discuss a topical issue of the ownership of trees or if your neighbour owns trees and how it can affect you. Overhanging braches and encroaching roots. Under our Common Law system (that we inherited from our neighbours in England) a person may cut back any branch […]
Injuries and Sports: What are Your Rights?
The area of sports and the law is peculiar for a number of reasons. This is an indirect acknowledgment that its place in society is somewhat different to that of our ordinary everyday activities of going to work or school etc. While the area of sports and the law is actually quite broad, I only […]
Registering Your Septic Tank: What is Involved?
In previous articles in this series, we have focused on the provisions of the Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2012, which was enacted in January of this year. The purpose of this Act is to ensure that waste water from septic tanks and other individual waste water treatment systems are disposed of without harming the environment […]
Your Pension – A valuable Asset on Separation
Pensions have largely taken over from property as the most valuable matrimonial asset in a Judicial Separation or Divorce case. Until quite recently, one’s primary assets consisted of property, bank accounts, cars etc. However, there is no doubt but that pensions have now become the primary focus. Until the mid 1990’s there was no way […]
Online Shopping
Online shopping is a modern day reality. Despite its impersonal nature, the industry is growing and it allows the consumer to buy goods without the parking, queuing and general stress associated with conventional shopping. However, many consumers are cautious about purchasing online and do not know where they stand legally if the item proves to […]
The Irish Credit Bureau and your credit rating – What you should know!
In a turbulent economy where many are finding it difficult to make ends meet, default of loans is common and the level of personal indebtedness is continuously escalating. Financial institutions are now extremely cautious about lending and they are making greater enquiries about the full borrowing history of individuals and companies before lending. The […]
When is an Offer Not an Offer?
Q. Shoppers are always pleased to see “offers” advertised in their local supermarket, with “3 for the price of 2” or “buy one get one half price” being good examples of discounts that are commonly touted. However, my experience of attempting to avail of such discounts in my large local supermarket has been poor, and […]
Farm Transfers
The transfer of ownership of the family farm from one generation to the next is a significant event in the history of any farming family. The focus of this article is on one aspect of farm transfers i.e. the relief from stamp duty which may be available to the person receiving the gift who is […]
Compensation Claims and The Injury Board
In dealing with Personal Injury claims I am often asked what exactly the “Injury Board” is and what it has to do with compensation claims. It might be useful, therefore, to set out briefly the history and function of the Injury Board, formerly known as the Personal Injury Assessment Board. The Board was set up […]
Service of Documents through Facebook … Is This Possible?
There has been a recent High Court order made whereby service of Court documents could be conducted through Facebook. This might cause surprise as traditionally there have been very strict rules in terms of the service of documents. By virtue of Irish Law and in particular Constitutional Law, the privacy of each and every individual […]