Ireland: Litigation, Mediation & Arbitration

The High Court has issued a new Practice Direction governing the use of generative AI in litigation, establishing mandatory disclosure requirements for affidavits, witness statements and expert reports. Legal practitioners must now ensure all AI-generated content is verified, accurate and compliant with professional obligations, with significant sanctions for non-compliance including costs orders and potential referral to regulatory authorities.

The High Court's recent judgment in O'Shaughnessy v Health Service Executive provides crucial guidance on when medical negligence proceedings may be dismissed for want of prosecution, particularly examining the significance of warning letters and the four-year inactivity threshold. Building on the Supreme Court's reformulated principles in Kirwan v Connors, the decision clarifies what procedural steps genuinely interrupt periods of delay and when the burden shifts to plaintiffs to justify continuation of st

The Court of Appeal¹ has this month issued an important judgment clarifying the law on the enforcement of possession orders in Ireland. The Court held that the 12-year limitation period prescribed by the Statute of Limitations 1957 for "actions upon a judgment" does not apply to applications for leave to issue execution of a possession order.