Since the establishment of the firm in 1988, employment law has been one of the firm’s core services.

Our success is due to the strength of the relationships we develop with our clients, combined with the quality of our lawyers.  Our lawyers comprise a strongly motivated team with a practical ‘hands-on’ and commercial approach, which we believe sets us apart.  This translates into accessible and decisive input and client focused solutions.

Our team advises domestic and multinational large-scale employers on all aspects of employment law, both contentious and non-contentious.  We advise on all aspects of employment from recruitment to the termination of the employment relationship.  Our employment team also regularly provides support to the firm’s business department in mergers and acquisitions and corporate restructurings.   

Our team has acted in a large number of employment disputes involving directors and shareholders and has featured in many contentious employment matters, including litigation related to unfair/wrongful dismissal, redundancy, employment injunctions, restrictive covenants, discrimination, harassment and work-related stress claims.

We act for many prestigious Irish and international clients in all industry sectors and continue to feature in many high-profile employment, pensions and employee benefit matters.

Pensions and Employee Benefits

The firm provides expert advice on all aspects of the law and practice of pensions and employee benefits in Ireland including providing advice on establishing and running pension schemes, advising trustees of pension schemes on the exercise of their discretions and fiduciary duties, designing benefit arrangements and exit mechanisms and establishing share plans that are capable of operating in a global context. In addition, we are well respected in the resolution of all contentious aspects of pensions and employee benefits including acting in pensions and employee benefits related litigation.

For more information on Employment contact Aoife Bradley. For more information on Pensions contact Jamie McConville.

Experience

• All aspects of the employment relationship
• Pre-contract matters, such as advertising and interviewing Employment and consultancy agreements
• Employment and consultancy agreements
• Employment policies and procedures
• Bullying, harassment and dignity at work issues and claims
• Performance management, sickness absence and other HR queries
• Equality and discrimination-related issues and claims
• Statutory employment rights and obligations including health and safety in the workplace
• Atypical employment arrangements (casual, fixed term, part time, agency workers)
• Employee remuneration, bonuses, confidentiality agreements and restrictive covenants
• Legal ‘audit’ (risk limitation) services regarding employment and workplace liability issues
• Redundancies and re-organisations
• Employment advice in the context of business transfers
• The legalities of setting up and running pension schemes
• Issues arising when a pension plan is in deficit
• Contracts with managers and insurers
• Restructuring, merging and winding up pension schemes
• Disputes: trustees under attack, employment rights and duties, members' interests
• Resolution of disputes and their arbitration
• Equality issues, including age discrimination, affecting pension plans
• Changing a pension promise from defined benefit to defined contribution
• Whistleblowing
• Negotiating appropriate pension terms on leaving service
• Pensions issues affecting transactions
• Benefit reductions
• Share incentive and bonus plans, both in Ireland and internationally
• Share plan aspects of transactions including takeovers and acquisitions
• Tax-approved arrangements
• Stock exchange listing rules and institutional guidelines
• Corporate law issues