TWO lawyers, John and Paul, meet in the foyer of the Four Courts. Or maybe they are in Cork City courthouse, writes Michael Clifford

The boss of insurance firm FBD has hit back at criticism by the Law Society president that blame for the Setanta Insurance fallout and high premiums lay squarely at foot of the insurance industry, saying it was meritless and ‘without fact’, writes Pádraig Hoare.

The boss of insurance firm FBD has hit back at criticism by the Law Society president that blame for the Setanta Insurance fallout and high premiums lay squarely at foot of the insurance industry, saying it was meritless and ‘without fact’.

The president of the Law Society has accused the insurance industry of using the Setanta Insurance fallout to “excuse their egregious increase in premiums”, claiming the sector will soon find another way to keep customer payments high in the future.

Here's your lunchtime bulletin.

A clampdown on the use of expert witnesses in court cases is on the cards as the costs of compensation claims and insurance premiums continues to climb.

The Department of Social Protection is in line for a windfall of up to €125m under new rules that require insurance companies to reimburse the department the cost of welfare payments to people with successful personal injury claims.

It frightens me that as a fellow officer of the court, that solicitor, Stuart Gilhooly states “this crime as alleged, was at the bottom end.

Dublin Rape Crisis Centre has said it welcomes the decision by the Professional Footballers Association of Ireland to remove a blog post which linked the Ched Evans rape case to the Guildford Four and the Birmingham Six.

A lawyer who suggested convicted rapist Ched Evans could be innocent has defended his views after they were removed from the website on which they were first published.

A lawyer for a body representing footballers has likened convicted rapist Ched Evans to the Guildford Four as a fourth high-profile Sheffield United patron resigned over the ongoing row.

A HOTELIER and nightclub owner created a tangled corporate web of companies in a bid to avoid legal responsibility for judgments, a court ruled yesterday.

THE economic downturn and the collapse of the construction sector has resulted in 1,000 solicitors being out of work.

POLLING closes today in a ballot among solicitors on a plan to plug a gaping hole in an industry insurance fund which could leave individual law firms facing claims of up to €300 million.

THE threat of a winding up order against Bohemians has been lifted.

PURSUING compensation claims through the Personal Injuries Assessment Board (PIAB) is four times faster and 70% cheaper than going to court, according to the PIAB.

LAWYERS are deliberately attempting to undermine Government moves to reduce insurance costs, the head of the new compensation claims agency has said.