Gary Matthews Solicitors

The High Court has held that a defendant was estopped from relying on the Statute of Limitations 1957 based on a clear and unequivocal admission of liability prior to the institution of personal injuries proceedings. The defendant had attempted to enter settlement negotiations with the plaintiff’s solicitor prior to the expiration of two years to bring the claim but no settlement occurred.

Delivering judgment in the case, Mr Justice Mark Heslin applied the principles in Murphy v. Grealish [2009] I.R. 366 and held that it was unconscionable to allow the defendant to rely on the Statute. The court determined that the plaintiff had been lulled into a sense of security by the defendant that the Statute was not important to the case.

To read the full story please visit:
https://www.irishlegal.com/articles/high-court-defendant-estopped-from-relying-on-statute-of-limitations-following-admission-of-liability-and-settlement-requests

Low fees, high attrition rate, lack of diversity – some of the findings of EY report into profession

Ireland has hundreds more barristers than is appropriate for its population size and many say they are suffering financially, according to the first ever independent strategic review of the profession here.

Carried out by consultants EY in 2021 for The Bar of Ireland (TBOI), the review found barristers face serious challenges, including fees of as little as €25 a day in District Court criminal legal aid cases, problems with getting fees paid by solicitors and an increasingly competitive market for legal services.

The unbalanced allocation of available work contributes to the high attrition rate of junior members of the Law Library, it noted, with the attrition rate rising rapidly after five years’ service. After 10 years, 53 per cent have quit.

There are 2,852 barristers on the State’s roll, or 45 per 100,000 people, with other countries of a similar size having on average just 25 barristers per 100,000 people.

To read the full story please visit:
https://www.irishtimes.com/crime-law/courts/2022/07/01/ireland-has-hundreds-more-barristers-than-it-needs-report

Woman says infections started immediately after mesh was inserted in 2002 to treat urinary incontinence

Mandy Jackson (63), from Wicklow, is starting to get her life back after 19 years of urinary tract infections which she believes were caused by vaginal mesh.

By the time she travelled to St Louis, Missouri last September, to have the mesh fully removed by specialist in women’s pelvic medicine, Dr Dionysius Veronikis, Jackson had been hospitalised with liver damage caused by years of taking antibiotics.

“My general wellbeing was very low,” she says. “I had no energy. I’d have to sit in the chair for an hour or two after I got up every morning.”

Jackson said the infections started immediately after she had mesh inserted in 2002 to treat urinary incontinence.

To read the full story please visit:
https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/social-affairs/2022/06/27/vaginal-mesh-injury-i-really-thought-i-was-going-to-die