IEL Elite

Overview

The “very inspiring” Melanie Crowley leads Mason Hayes & Curran’s expanding employment team, which promoted Catherine (Tríona) Kelly to partner in May 2022.

The standalone department is frequently instructed by multinationals to assist with Irish law concerns, and the group is a particularly popular choice for leading tech names from Silicon Valley. The firm’s satellite offices in London, New York, and San Francisco further support the team’s provision of advice to major multinational clients.

Specialisms

Clients frequently appoint the department on cutting-edge matters. Of late, this has been showcased in work on whistleblowing and other investigations, emerging health and safety concerns relating to online platforms, and remote working issues.

Notably, the team has substantive prowess in litigious matters, which has seen it act on some of Ireland’s most prominent employment-related disputes. For example, it advised Wilson’s Hospital school on a dispute with teacher Enoch Burke, which resulted in Burke’s imprisonment. Burke had refused to refer to a transitioning student by their new name and the pronouns they/them, and was ultimately placed on paid administrative leave. He continued to attend the school, leading to his arrest and imprisonment.

The group regularly assists with the implementation of new workplace policies, such as the advice provided by partner Elizabeth Ryan to a prominent fintech company on the implementation of an earned salary advance scheme, which is an alternative to a payday loan. Advice spanned duty of care, deductions from wages, and tax and social security.

Advisory work also includes acting for prominent clients on M&A, restructuring operations, or market exits. For example, Crowley led the advice to News Corp on its acquisition and later closure of a large printing press in County Meath. The team’s multifaceted advice included assisting with various secondment arrangements during the acquisition, support from the pensions team, and staggered redundancies – all within a highly unionised environment.

Further areas of expertise include industrial relations, immigration, D&I, and absence management.

Clients