MLRC’s Response to comments from An Taoiseach Simon Harris on homelessness and immigration
MLRC’s response to comments from An Taoiseach Simon Harris on homelessness and immigration Mercy Law Resource Centre (“MLRC”) has deep concerns over the representation of the issue of homelessness in Ireland by An Taoiseach Simon Harris. MLRC has provided legal advice, support, and representation to people experiencing or at risk of homelessness since 2009. During […]
MLRC’s First Communications Intern, Arunima Bhattacharjee, shares insights from their time with MLRC
I consider myself to be lucky that I got an opportunity to work with MLRC as a Communications Intern for a period of 10 weeks. As someone with a former background in law who opted for a Political Communications degree with a view of exploring opportunities in the Communications sector, this was a perfect environment […]
Summer Intern Camille Goberyte reflects on her experience with MLRC
I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to intern with Mercy Law Resource Centre in the months of June and July this summer. As a student of Law and Social Justice, I believe that the legal system is a powerful tool that can be used to shape perspectives and attitudes in our society, and […]
A reflection from Áine McCreesh Arthur Cox Pro Bono Paralegal
I joined Mercy Law in October 2023 through a six-month Pro Bono Secondment Programme run by Arthur Cox LLP. The opportunity to work as a paralegal in Mercy Law before starting my traineeship really appealed to me. I believe the legal profession has an obligation to ensure society’s most vulnerable groups are not excluded from […]
Pro Bono Week Ireland – 20-25 November 2023
As an organisation that hugely values the strong pro bono partnerships we have, MLRC is delighted to support our friends at PILA (The Public Interest Law Alliance) as they come together with several of the largest law firms in Ireland to create a varied programme of events to celebrate Pro Bono Week Ireland 2023. Pro […]
MLRC’s Final Hour Campaign 2023
Mercy Law Resource Centre (MLRC) will launch its second Final Hour Campaign on 24 October 2023. The campaign asks law firms across Ireland to consider donating the last billable hour of the year – either as a single contribution on behalf of a law firm, or a call-to-action for individual lawyers in the firm – […]
Social housing offers and refusals – what’s the law?
In the context of recent media reports discussing statistics on refusals of offers of social housing, we outline the legal framework that applies to offers of social housing and provide important context to some common grounds of refusal. On 12 June 2023 the Sunday Independent published an article titled ‘Too small, no garden, ‘unsuitable’ location, […]
New data accessed by MLRC on number and duration of Family Long Stays in Emergency Accommodation
According to Dublin Regional Homelessness Authority data received by Mercy Law under a Freedom of Information request on February 28th, 2023, there were 203 families living in emergency accommodation for two or more years across the Dublin Local Authority areas. This represents 363 adults and 523 children, and 17.42% of all families in emergency accommodation. […]
Rent-a-Room Scheme extended to Local Authority homes
Senior ministers agreed last week at Cabinet to extend the Rent-a-Room scheme to all housing types, including local authority Council homes. This means Council tenants will be permitted to rent out rooms in their houses for up to €14,000 a year, tax-free. The Government hopes to add the equivalent of 28,000 homes across the country […]
Final Hour Campaign 2022
Reflecting back on 2022, Mercy Law Resource Centre launched its first ever Final Hour Campaign on 23 November. The campaign asked law firms across Ireland to consider donating the last billable hour of the year – either as a single contribution on behalf of a law firm, or a call-to-action for individual lawyers in the […]
