Professor William Binchy provides a summary of the legal system in the Republic of Ireland and reflects on constitutional developments and challenges facing the country, particularly in the light of the recent economic collapse.

Professor Brice Dickson offers forthright views relating to law reform issues in Northern Ireland against the background of the peace process.

Patricia T Rickard-Clarke writes on the complex issues relating to access to justice for the citizens of Ireland. Her article addresses the practical need for consolidation of legislation and the issues of making law accessible in a form that people can understand. The article also takes into account comparative developments in other jurisdictions.

Mary Gaynor gives a brief outline of the historical context of the establishment and development of the Law Society of Ireland library service. She describes core services to solicitor members and trainee solicitors. The impact of the economic recession on the number of solicitors entering, and staying within the profession, is discussed in the context of how the library has adapted to meet the changing needs of its users.

This article, by Jennefer Aston, outlines the origins of The Law Library, focusing on its librarians and the services that were provided for members in the first 180 years.

John Furlong reviews the law firm sector in Ireland as it weathers the storms of recession and the winds of change. The article provides details on the size and scale of the sector as well as statistical information on solicitors and law firms.

Madelaine Dennison describes the work of the Oireachtas Library & Research Service (L&RS) and how it works for members of the Houses of the Oireachtas, the Irish parliament. The L&RS delivers a range of services to parliamentarians including a Legislative Analysis Service. Following a period of investment in the L&RS there is now a requirement to reduce costs while continuing to meet members' needs. A challenge for the L&RS is to become the research hub within parliament and the preferred information and research resource for members.

This article takes the form of a short interview with George Woodman, Librarian at the Northern Ireland Assembly Library. The questions were posed by the LIM Editor. George was recently given Life Membership of BIALL and received the Wildy BIALL Law Librarian of the Year 2011 Award at the 2011 BIALL Annual Dinner in Newcastle. More significantly, George was awarded an MBE in HM The Queen's Birthday Honours 2010 in recognition of his services to the profession.

Sinéad Curtin and Alice Steen review sources of Irish legislation, caselaw and legal commentary. Their article also provides guidance on common research queries such as checking amendments to legislation.

This article, written by Renate Ní Uigín, provides an overview of the Irish law publishing market today. It discusses the nature of Irish law, potential purchasers and the principal publishers.

Ruth O'Flaherty briefly discusses the provision of library and research services in the Office of the Attorney General.

In this brief article Jean Cassidy describes the work of the Chief State Solicitor's Office in Dublin.

Conor McCabe outlines the role of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, the way that the library provides support and the impact of budget cuts on the service.

Zoe Melling writes on the Legal Aid Board in Ireland and the work of the professional information and research unit.

Joseph Donnelly's article describes the Judges' Library and its role, and some of the issues relating to the library's users, collection, staff activities and use of print and digital material.

Conor Kennedy provides an overview of the Law Reform Commission's Library & Information Service

Alison Lorrimer, Librarian in Departmental Solicitor's Office outlines the work of Departmental Solicitor's Office and how the library service has evolved to meet the information requirements of the office.

Jacki Sleator outlines the origins of the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) and how the organisation made its transition from a small organisation to one of the biggest legal departments in N Ireland.