Department profile

Employment: Pensions

Europe Guide 2026 : Ireland

Rankings

Ranked Individuals

About

Provided by Byrne Wallace Shields

Regarded nationally and internationally as the leaders in employment law in Ireland, the Byrne Wallace Shields LLP Employment Law team has unrivalled experience advising large domestic and international clients, both private and public, across all industry sectors. It also has particular expertise in administrative law and pensions law and in recent years, has advised on some of the most high profile landmark pensions cases in Ireland. The team is also renowned for its excellence in client service and a proven track record advising on complex and novel employment issues.

Industries (18)

Retail
Financial Services
Transport
Education
Print and Media
Food and Beverages
Energy and Natural Resources
Healthcare
Pharmaceutical
Life Sciences
Tourism
Public Sector
Charities and Not for Profit
Communications
Waste management
Professional Services
Regulatory
Insurance

Chambers Review

Provided by Chambers

Employment: Pensions - Ireland

What the Team is Known For

Byrne Wallace Shields has a widely admired and respected employment team providing top-quality advice on the whole spectrum of labour law matters, including terminations, unfair dismissals, disciplinary matters, discrimination claims, protected disclosures and whistle-blowing cases. It also assists with restructurings, collective redundancies and TUPE mandates. The team is experienced in public sector work, with a proven track record of advising the Irish government on a range of policy and procedural issues in the field. It advises on GDPR compliance for both public and private sector entities.

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Work Highlights

Provided by Chambers

Byrne Wallace Shields assisted Magna International Autolaunch with collective redundancy proceedings.

Notable Practitioners

Provided by Chambers

Band 1
Band 1
Michael Kennedy
Michael Kennedy is recognised for his longstanding experience in the employment law market. In addition to his notable expertise in industrial disputes, he advises on non-contentious TUPE issues, restructuring, protected disclosure and matters involving top executives.
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Band 1
Band 1
Michelle Ní Longáin
Michelle Ní Longáin maintains an excellent reputation in the Ireland employment market. She is particularly skilled at advising clients in the public sector on the implementation of domestic and EU-mandated directives in relation to matters such as data protection, protected disclosures, whistle-blowing and discrimination.
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Band 2
Band 2
Loughlin Deegan
Loughlin Deegan has notable experience handling challenging employment topics, with a particular focus on allegations of misconduct by employees, disciplinary procedures, protected disclosures and GDPR matters.
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Band 3
Band 3
Aoife Bradley
Aoife Bradley advises clients on corporate restructuring, collective redundancies, TUPE and protected disclosure matters. She also handles contentious issues such as unfair dismissal claims as well as disciplinary and harassment cases.
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Band 3
Band 3
Emmet Whelan
Emmet Whelan has experience in restructuring mandates and unfair dismissal cases, and advises a clientele that includes prominent government entities as well as major private companies. He also assists with employment issues arising from corporate restructurings, the implementation of protected disclosure policies, disciplinary matters and investigations.
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Band 3
Band 3
Liam Connellan
Liam Connellan's pensions practice covers a range of issues, from scheme wind-ups and transfers to advising on corporate transactions and IORP II compliance. He assists with both the corporate and trustee sides, handling both contentious and non-contentious mandates.
Liam Connellan is very experienced and attentive to clients.
Employment: Pensions respondentEurope
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Band 4
Band 4
Ciara O'Kennedy
Ciara O'Kennedy advises domestic and international clients on transaction-related matters, industrial relations and contentious matters such as grievances, unfair dismissal and disciplinary proceedings. She also advises senior managers on contentious matters.
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Band 4
Band 4
Elaine Kelly
Elaine Kelly is highly regarded for her ability to advise clients in the public sector on the interpretation of directives and statutory norms related to employment. She also represents clients in contentious employment matters.
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