https://patfinucanereview.org/articles/ All explainers and reading notes on Finucane Case Review, grouped into legacy and the Troubles, law, world justice, money and tax law, and books. en-gb https://patfinucanereview.org/young-lawyers-help-soo-law-firm-plan-for-the-future/ https://patfinucanereview.org/young-lawyers-help-soo-law-firm-plan-for-the-future/ Sun, 08 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000 How small and regional law firms plan for the retirement or death of senior lawyers, why it matters to clients, and what law societies require or recommend. https://patfinucanereview.org/women-lawyers-are-more-stressed-and-drink-more-than-men-study-finds/ https://patfinucanereview.org/women-lawyers-are-more-stressed-and-drink-more-than-men-study-finds/ Sun, 08 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Findings of the 2021 PLOS ONE study of nearly 2,900 US lawyers on stress, hazardous drinking and attrition, and why women were more likely to consider leaving law. https://patfinucanereview.org/why-was-the-slack-salesforce-deal-not-signed/ https://patfinucanereview.org/why-was-the-slack-salesforce-deal-not-signed/ Sun, 08 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000 How Salesforce's $27.7 billion purchase of Slack, announced in December 2020, went through antitrust review before closing in July 2021, and what the delay meant. https://patfinucanereview.org/when-to-collect-social-security-why-you-should-wait/ https://patfinucanereview.org/when-to-collect-social-security-why-you-should-wait/ Sun, 08 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000 How your claiming age changes US Social Security retirement benefits, why delaying to 70 can pay off, and when claiming earlier makes sense. https://patfinucanereview.org/what-is-alex-murdaughs-net-worth/ https://patfinucanereview.org/what-is-alex-murdaughs-net-worth/ Sun, 08 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Not a 'net worth' guess: how lawyer Alex Murdaugh stole from clients, his state and federal sentences, and why his murder convictions were overturned in 2026. https://patfinucanereview.org/wb-approves-loan-to-support-expansion-of-bolsa-familia-program-en-pt-brazil/ https://patfinucanereview.org/wb-approves-loan-to-support-expansion-of-bolsa-familia-program-en-pt-brazil/ Sun, 08 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000 What the World Bank's US$1 billion loan approved in October 2020 was for, how Brazil's Bolsa Família cash-transfer programme works, and what happened to it after. https://patfinucanereview.org/two-attorneys-with-ties-to-texas-clash-in-supreme-court-on-monday-over-arguments-in-state-abortion-cases/ https://patfinucanereview.org/two-attorneys-with-ties-to-texas-clash-in-supreme-court-on-monday-over-arguments-in-state-abortion-cases/ Sun, 08 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000 What the US Supreme Court heard on 1 November 2021 about Texas's SB 8 abortion law, who argued, what the Court decided in December, and what Dobbs changed. https://patfinucanereview.org/three-vying-for-second-full-time-judge-post-at-bozeman-city-court-city/ https://patfinucanereview.org/three-vying-for-second-full-time-judge-post-at-bozeman-city-court-city/ Sun, 08 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000 How municipal and city court judges are selected in Montana cities such as Bozeman, what these courts handle, and why growing cities add judgeships. https://patfinucanereview.org/three-lawyers-from-the-vetrano-family-recognized-as-the-2021-super-lawyers/ https://patfinucanereview.org/three-lawyers-from-the-vetrano-family-recognized-as-the-2021-super-lawyers/ Sun, 08 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000 How peer-recognition lists such as Super Lawyers select lawyers, what percentage are named, and the professional rules on how lawyers may advertise such honours. https://patfinucanereview.org/the-terrifying-true-story-behind-peacocks-dr-death/ https://patfinucanereview.org/the-terrifying-true-story-behind-peacocks-dr-death/ Sun, 08 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000 How Texas neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch harmed patients, why it took so long to stop him, his 2017 conviction, and what the case revealed about oversight. https://patfinucanereview.org/the-new-dup-chief-jeffrey-donaldson-has-alleged-that-a-garda-mole-was-involved-in-the-murder-of-two-ruc-officers-by-the-ira/ https://patfinucanereview.org/the-new-dup-chief-jeffrey-donaldson-has-alleged-that-a-garda-mole-was-involved-in-the-murder-of-two-ruc-officers-by-the-ira/ Sun, 08 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000 What Jeffrey Donaldson alleged about a Garda 'mole' in the 1989 IRA murders of two RUC officers, what the Smithwick Tribunal found in 2013, and who denied what. https://patfinucanereview.org/the-indian-health-sector-a-prime-target-for-startups-news/ https://patfinucanereview.org/the-indian-health-sector-a-prime-target-for-startups-news/ Sun, 08 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Why India's health sector draws startups, and the programmes and laws that shape it: Ayushman Bharat, digital health, telemedicine and data protection. https://patfinucanereview.org/the-fallout-from-an-ira-execution-a-life-of-pagan-poetry/ https://patfinucanereview.org/the-fallout-from-an-ira-execution-a-life-of-pagan-poetry/ Sun, 08 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000 How poets from Northern Ireland, including Seamus Heaney and Michael Longley, wrote about paramilitary punishments, killings and the moral fallout of the Troubles. https://patfinucanereview.org/the-2021-wipl-awards-the-entire-career-of-a-law-firm/ https://patfinucanereview.org/the-2021-wipl-awards-the-entire-career-of-a-law-firm/ Sun, 08 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000 What awards recognising women lawyers and whole careers in law are meant to do, how they are judged, and how to tell a meaningful honour from a marketing exercise. https://patfinucanereview.org/texans-vote-on-8-constitutional-amendments-tuesday-cbs-dallas-fort-worth/ https://patfinucanereview.org/texans-vote-on-8-constitutional-amendments-tuesday-cbs-dallas-fort-worth/ Sun, 08 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000 What Texans voted on in the eight constitutional amendments of 2 November 2021, from religious services and judicial conduct to caregivers, and the results. https://patfinucanereview.org/tayari-jones-opens-up-about-race-marriage-and-incarceration-in-bestselling-book/ https://patfinucanereview.org/tayari-jones-opens-up-about-race-marriage-and-incarceration-in-bestselling-book/ Sun, 08 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000 A reading note on Tayari Jones's 2018 novel An American Marriage, about a young Black couple torn apart by a wrongful conviction, and why it resonates. https://patfinucanereview.org/students-in-downers-grove-ill-rally-to-defend-controversial-lgbtq-book-as-school-board-hears-objections-over-content/ https://patfinucanereview.org/students-in-downers-grove-ill-rally-to-defend-controversial-lgbtq-book-as-school-board-hears-objections-over-content/ Sun, 08 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000 How students in Downers Grove, Illinois, rallied in 2021 to keep Maia Kobabe's memoir Gender Queer in school libraries, the review process, and the board's 2022 vote. https://patfinucanereview.org/student-loan-debt-statistics-in-2020-record-1-6-trillion/ https://patfinucanereview.org/student-loan-debt-statistics-in-2020-record-1-6-trillion/ Sun, 08 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000 How US student loan debt reached roughly $1.6 trillion by 2020, who holds it, the March 2020 payment pause, and what has changed in the years since. https://patfinucanereview.org/simple-ways-to-lower-your-tax-bill-boston-news-weather-sports/ https://patfinucanereview.org/simple-ways-to-lower-your-tax-bill-boston-news-weather-sports/ Sun, 08 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Plain, legal ways to reduce US income tax: retirement and HSA contributions, credits versus deductions, checking withholding and harvesting losses. https://patfinucanereview.org/sidley-lands-kirkland-financial-duo-in-new-york-san-francisco/ https://patfinucanereview.org/sidley-lands-kirkland-financial-duo-in-new-york-san-francisco/ Sun, 08 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Why partners move between large law firms such as Sidley and Kirkland, what the professional rules say about taking clients, and how firms check conflicts. https://patfinucanereview.org/should-you-put-your-money-in-a-roth-or-traditional-retirement-account-in-2022/ https://patfinucanereview.org/should-you-put-your-money-in-a-roth-or-traditional-retirement-account-in-2022/ Sun, 08 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000 How to choose between Roth and traditional 401(k) or IRA contributions: tax now versus later, expected retirement income, tax diversification and required distributions. https://patfinucanereview.org/roth-ira-retirement-taxes-and-conversions-what-you-need-to-know/ https://patfinucanereview.org/roth-ira-retirement-taxes-and-conversions-what-you-need-to-know/ Sun, 08 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000 How converting a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA works: the tax due on conversion, the pro-rata rule, the five-year rules, and why conversions can no longer be undone. https://patfinucanereview.org/richs-tax-strategy-roth-backdoor-survives-in-latest-democratic-plan/ https://patfinucanereview.org/richs-tax-strategy-roth-backdoor-survives-in-latest-democratic-plan/ Sun, 08 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000 What the backdoor Roth strategy is, how 2021 Build Back Better drafts went back and forth on banning it, and why it remains allowed under current law. https://patfinucanereview.org/report/volume02/ https://patfinucanereview.org/report/volume02/ Sun, 08 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000 What Volume II of the 2012 Finucane report contains, why the documents were published with redactions, and where to read the official copy rather than old PDF links. https://patfinucanereview.org/report/volume01/foreword/ https://patfinucanereview.org/report/volume01/foreword/ Sun, 08 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000 A short guide to the foreword of the 2012 Report of the Patrick Finucane Review: what it sets out, and how it frames the rest of the report. https://patfinucanereview.org/report/volume01/executive-summary-and-principal-conclusions/ https://patfinucanereview.org/report/volume01/executive-summary-and-principal-conclusions/ Sun, 08 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000 A plain-language guide to the principal conclusions of the 2012 Finucane report: collusion, significant doubt, no over-arching conspiracy, and obstruction. https://patfinucanereview.org/report/volume01/chapter025/ https://patfinucanereview.org/report/volume01/chapter025/ Sun, 08 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Guide to chapter 25 of the 2012 Finucane report: whether government ministers knew of or sanctioned collusive activity, and de Silva's conclusion. https://patfinucanereview.org/report/volume01/chapter024/ https://patfinucanereview.org/report/volume01/chapter024/ Sun, 08 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Guide to chapter 24 of the 2012 Finucane report: obstruction of the first Stevens investigation, leaks, and how Brian Nelson's 1992 prosecution was handled. https://patfinucanereview.org/report/volume01/chapter023/ https://patfinucanereview.org/report/volume01/chapter023/ Sun, 08 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Guide to chapter 23 of the 2012 Finucane report: how the state responded after the murder, including the recruitment of Ken Barrett and the missing admission tape. https://patfinucanereview.org/report/volume01/chapter022/ https://patfinucanereview.org/report/volume01/chapter022/ Sun, 08 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Guide to chapter 22 of the 2012 Finucane report: William Stobie's role in supplying a pistol used in the murder, and what Special Branch did with his warnings. https://patfinucanereview.org/report/volume01/chapter021/ https://patfinucanereview.org/report/volume01/chapter021/ Sun, 08 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Guide to chapter 21 of the 2012 Finucane report: Brian Nelson's role in targeting Pat Finucane, his handlers' records, and disputed evidence. https://patfinucanereview.org/report/volume01/chapter020/ https://patfinucanereview.org/report/volume01/chapter020/ Sun, 08 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Guide to chapter 20 of the 2012 Finucane report: the role of senior UDA figure Thomas 'Tucker' Lyttle and his relationship with RUC officers. https://patfinucanereview.org/report/volume01/chapter019/ https://patfinucanereview.org/report/volume01/chapter019/ Sun, 08 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Guide to chapter 19 of the 2012 Finucane report: allegations that RUC officers facilitated the murder, and how de Silva weighed the evidence. https://patfinucanereview.org/report/volume01/chapter018/ https://patfinucanereview.org/report/volume01/chapter018/ Sun, 08 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Guide to chapter 18 of the 2012 Finucane report: allegations that RUC officers encouraged loyalists to target Pat Finucane, and de Silva's conclusions. https://patfinucanereview.org/report/volume01/chapter017/ https://patfinucanereview.org/report/volume01/chapter017/ Sun, 08 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Guide to chapter 17 of the 2012 Finucane report: why the security forces did not act against the West Belfast UDA before the February 1989 murder. https://patfinucanereview.org/report/volume01/chapter016/ https://patfinucanereview.org/report/volume01/chapter016/ Sun, 08 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Guide to chapter 16 of the 2012 Finucane report: what the state knew about threats to Pat Finucane between 1981 and 1989, and why he was never warned. https://patfinucanereview.org/report/volume01/chapter015/ https://patfinucanereview.org/report/volume01/chapter015/ Sun, 08 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Guide to chapter 15 of the 2012 Finucane report: Security Service propaganda initiatives in the 1980s that came to include Pat Finucane, and why they stopped. https://patfinucanereview.org/report/volume01/chapter014/ https://patfinucanereview.org/report/volume01/chapter014/ Sun, 08 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Guide to chapter 14 of the 2012 Finucane report: Douglas Hogg's January 1989 Commons remark about solicitors, the RUC briefing behind it, and its effect. https://patfinucanereview.org/report/volume01/chapter013/ https://patfinucanereview.org/report/volume01/chapter013/ Sun, 08 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Guide to chapter 13 of the 2012 Finucane report: the 1987 theft of weapons from an army barracks, including a pistol later linked to the murder. https://patfinucanereview.org/report/volume01/chapter012/ https://patfinucanereview.org/report/volume01/chapter012/ Sun, 08 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Guide to chapter 12 of the 2012 Finucane report: a short overview of the murder on 12 February 1989, opening the report's account of the killing itself.