Law firm A&L Goodbody (ALG) has appointed 11 new partners – eight in Dublin and three in Belfast, bringing the total number of partners in the firm to 104.

British housebuilders are facing up to the worst conditions since the early 1990s following a wave of cash calls from some of the UK's biggest banks.

The embattled housebuilding sector suffered a further blow today after a dire broker note warned of sliding profits and dividends among the leading firms.