Matheson LLP

Partner in Employment, Pensions and Benefits Group

Russell is a partner in the Employment, Pensions and Benefits Group with over 13 years’ experience advising a wide range of public sector, third sector, corporate and institutional clients in the UK and Ireland across the spectrum of contentious and non-contentious employment, industrial relations, equality and immigration law.

Russell has a particular expertise in advising clients on the complex workforce challenges that arise from their commercial activities, having been the employment lead on some of the largest reorganisations, outsourcings and commercial transactions across the private and public sector in the UK and Ireland in recent years. This has included major National Health Service reorganisations in the UK and large M&A transactions in Ireland covering, amongst other things, staff transfers (TUPE in particular), due diligence, individual and collective redundancies and the consequent litigation that can arise in such projects.

Russell also has extensive experience in managing sensitive and complex employment disputes and litigation, including High Court injunction proceedings, and is regularly lauded by both clients and peers alike for his personable and commercially practicable approach in dealing with such matters.

Russell‘s breadth of experience and expertise in UK employment matters means that he frequently works with clients and potential clients operating in and from the UK to advise them on the differences and nuances between UK and Irish employment laws, amongst other things.  This also means that he has unrivalled experience in advising clients on matters such as whistleblowing and has played a vital role in the Group becoming the “go to” Irish employment group for Brexit-related matters.

Russell is an active member of the UK Employment Lawyers Association, the European Employment Lawyers Association, the Employment Lawyers Association of Ireland and the American Bar Association. As well as delivering regular presentations and training to colleagues and clients, Russell has delivered bespoke training to members of the American Chamber of Commerce and the Institute of Directors in Ireland on managing employment law risk and defending employment claims.  He also regularly presents at employment conferences organised by the American Bar Association in the US and the White Company here in Ireland.

Russell co-authored the Ireland Chapter of the 2016 / Fifth Edition and the 2018 / 6th Edition of The Littler Mendelson Guide to International Employment and Labor Law, which covers employment law in over 60 countries.

University College Dublin (Bachelor of Business and Legal Studies) Qualified as a solicitor in Ireland University College Dublin (Diploma in Employment Law) Law Society of Ireland (Diploma in Commercial Litigation) Qualified as a solicitor in England and Wales