Our Employment Group excels in providing practical and commercially focussed advice on all issues arising in the course of the employment relationship.

In the current economic climate, we recognise that employers face additional challenges in managing their workforces and need more than ever to avoid employment disputes that may lead to lengthy and costly litigation.

Our clients include leading multinational and Irish companies, public sector organisations and senior executives.   Arising from William Fry’s prominence in M&A work, a significant portion of our practice involves the employment aspects of takeovers and business sales.   In recent years, our work on the administration of Nortel and in other receiverships and liquidations, in tandem with William Fry’s Insolvency & Corporate Recovery Group, has afforded us unrivalled experience in employment issues arising in insolvency situations.

We represent clients in claims before the EAT, the Equality Tribunal, the Rights Commissioners, the Labour Court, the High Court and the Supreme Court.

Our areas of expertise include:

• Recruitment
• Equality in Employment
• Bullying and Harassment
• Disciplinary investigations and procedures
• Employment injunction proceedings
• Dismissals
• Redundancy Programs
• Post-termination restrictive covenants
• Employment issues in receiverships, examinerships and liquidations
• Employee rights in business sales and outsourcings, including Transfer of Undertakings Issues
• Industrial Relations
• Preparing bespoke training sessions for HR personnel on specific aspects of employment law

Our experience includes:

Advising Yahoo!, State Street and Lionbridge Technologies on an ongoing basis on employment law issues. 

Advising retail clients HMV, Debenhams and Mothercare on day to day employment law issues.

Advising Ernst & Young Dublin, the joint administrators of the Irish subsidiary of the Canadian telecoms giant Nortel Networks Limited, on the employment issues relating to the administration and sale of parts of the Nortel business, including successfully defending the administrators in a claim by the Employee Forum for expenses, under the .

Advising Wolseley plc on the employment aspects of the sale of its Irish businesses with 600 employees.

Advising HMV on the employment aspects of its acquisition of five Zavvi music stores in Ireland from the provisional liquidator of Zavvi.

Before the High Court, obtaining for the Ex-CEO and Ex-CFO of Payzone an interlocutory injunction which was effectively the first of its kind in the British Isles as it permitted the plaintiffs to “keep their feet under their desks”.

Advising FAS and B&Q on an ongoing basis on health and safety issues.

Advising Smurfit Kappa Group plc on the employment aspects of the sale of its paper sacks business to Mondi AG.

Advising Glanbia plc on the employment aspects of the sale of its Irish dairy business to the Glanbia Co-operative Society.

Advising a number of major corporations on severance agreements with senior executives.

Department
Sources say: “A well-connected practice that really tries to understand its clients. I have yet to give the lawyers a scenario which has stumped them – you can always find an expert in your area.”
Chambers Europe, 2013 - Employment

Sources say: 'Everyone we deal with is just superb. We value the team's judgement and view them as colleagues.'
Chambers Europe, 2012 - Employment

William Fry advises in ‘a clear and pragmatic way'.
Legal 500 EMEA, 2012 - Employment

William Fry is able to offer ‘flexible solutions and clear analysis of various situations'.
Legal 500 EMEA, 2011 - Employment

William Fry is ‘hard working and responsive’.
Legal 500 EMEA, 2010 - Employment

Large employers from the public and private sector form the majority of the client roster, and they call the team ‘pragmatic, responsive, client-focused, and ready to go at any time.’  According to sources, ‘William Fry lawyers take care of the legal side but, with a solid commercial approach, they almost act as business consultants as well’.
Chambers Europe, 2010 - Employment

Team

Boyce Shubotham
Boyce Shubotham is considered “one of the top employment guys in the city.”
Chambers Europe, 2013 - Employment

Practice head Boyce Shubotham is ‘tactically astute in all his dealings’.
Legal 500 EMEA, 2013 - Employment

Boyce Shubotham is lauded as 'experienced and practical. He always lays out options and his advice has avoided a lot of litigation.'
Chambers Europe, 2012 - Employment

Boyce Shubotham is ‘just amazing’.
Legal 500 EMEA, 2012 - Employment

Boyce Shubotham is hailed as a ‘top-class adviser'.
Legal 500 EMEA, 2011 - Employment

Boyce Shubotham is praised for ‘demonstrating mastery of the law’.
Legal 500 EMEA, 2010 - Employment

Boyce Shubotham leads the team and is recommended for his handling of complex employment litigation.
Chambers Europe, 2010 - Employment

Michael Wolfe
According to an impressed client, “he thinks outside the box and comes up with usable solutions." Another adds: "He has the ability to resolve division and conflict between parties.”
Chambers Europe, 2013 - Employment

Michael Wolfe is praised for 'his independence of mind and ability to resolve divisions between trustees'.
Legal 500 EMEA, 2013 - Pensions & Employee Benefits

Michael Wolfe is ‘an excellent pensions lawyer’.
Legal 500 EMEA, 2012 - Pensions & Employee Benefits

Michael Wolfe provides ‘excellent advice, not just on strict legal issues but also on the appropriate tactical approach’.
Legal 500 EMEA, 2010 - Pensions and Employee Benefits

‘He is extremely experienced and his advice is legally and tactically spot-on,’ according to clients.
Chambers Europe, 2010 - Employment

Maura Roe
Maura Roe ‘remains calm and focused’.
Legal 500 EMEA, 2013 - Employment

Maura Roe is ‘technical and knows where the client is coming from’.
Legal 500 EMEA, 2010 - Pensions and Employee Benefits

Maura Roe brings an international dimension, having worked for a prominent US law firm, and sources appreciate that she is ‘responsive and knows the legislation extremely well’.
Chambers Europe, 2010 - Employment

Alicia Compton

Alicia Compton is "a valuable adviser who understands the context in which we operate. She can head problems off.”
Chambers Europe, 2013 - Employment

Alicia Compton is ‘excellent’.
Legal 500 EMEA, 2013 - Employment

Alicia Compton 'is a great asset. She has a deep understanding of our needs and will anticipate all the issues that could affect us,' clients note.
Chambers Europe, 2012 - Employment

'Alicia Compton has few peers'.
Legal 500 EMEA, 2012 - Employment

Alicia Compton can lay claim to being ‘the best employment lawyer in Ireland’, according to one client.
Legal 500 EMEA, 2011 - Employment

Alicia Compton is ‘a pragmatic lawyer with a knack for distilling complex information down to the essential elements,’ say sources.
Chambers Europe, 2010 - Employment

Alicia Compton is an expert in equality-related matters, and has advised both public and private sector bodies on potential equality issues. She is also a member of the Health and Safety Lawyers' Association.
Chambers Global, 2009 - Employment

Maryrose Dillon
Maryrose Dillon is ‘a rising star in Irish employment law circles’.
Legal 500 EMEA, 2012 - Employment