The employment practice at Matheson LLP acts for numerous major domestic and international clients across the technology, pharmaceutical and financial services sectors. Among the team’s specialisms are employment and benefits matters, with the practice having recently expanded its involvement in employment-related immigration and pension issues. The group is headed by Bryan Dunne, who specialises in cross-border employment investigations and litigation before the Irish civil courts and WRC. Geraldine Carr assists clients with workplace investigations and restructuring, while Russell Rochford focuses on issues arising at the intersection between employment and financial service regulatory laws. Crisis management expert Ailbhe Dennehy is known for her expertise in whistleblowing and termination of employment matters. Alice Duffy and Jennifer Bassett were new arrivals in September 2024.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘The employment law team at Matheson is outstanding. From trainee to partner, everyone I have dealt with is not only experienced in their practice area but incredibly personable and professional - a great mix for a lawyer. The quality of their documents is excellent, and their turnaround times are impressive. The employment team have got their client strategy perfected - expertise coupled with incredible customer service skills.’
  • ‘I don't know what we would do without the Matheson team to support us in our issue. The team is always responsive, timely, effective and knowledgeable. If an emergency comes up, you can also rely someone on who will be available to help and answer us promptly.’
  • ‘I want to shout out to Geraldine Carr. Geraldine has amazing business acumen, and she is extremely knowledgeable. She always helps us to find the right balance for any business decision. Plus, she is a joy to work with.’
  • ‘One is the size and depth of their group - it's a great strength. The other point is their breadth of experience and understanding of advising large employers in the financial services sector and the added dynamic of dealing with regulatory fitness and probity issues. This is a unique advantage that Matheson delivers to us in a trusted, knowledgeable way.’
  • ‘Bryan Dunne - partner and Tina O'Sullivan - senior associate - Unwavering 5-star service from both. Their responsiveness, adaptability, tailored client-focused service, commerciality and consistent availability make them stand out from competitors. Both Bryan and Russell Rochford can interpret and relate advice and guidance to previous cases we had - knowing the client's background is critical, and adapting to our style/commercial needs is key.’
  • ‘Matheson is always extremely helpful. Tina O'Sullivan, in particular, is a pleasure to work with. She was willing to dive into any situation with our team and at times feel like an extension to our HR team.’
  • ‘Russell Rochford and the entire employment team are key advisors to our business.’
  • ‘Knowledge of many different areas - employment law, benefits, pension, tax etc. They understand their client and respond with a tailored approach that really responds to the business needs and goals.’

Key clients

  • Abbvie
  • Accenture
  • Adobe Inc
  • An Post
  • Analog Devices
  • Aramark
  • Aviva
  • Bain Capital Private Equity Europe LLP
  • Bank of Ireland
  • Bank of Montreal
  • BCP Asset Management
  • Bon Secours Mercy Health, Inc
  • CarGurus, Inc.
  • Chartered Accountants Ireland
  • Danske Bank
  • Deloitte Ireland LLP
  • Dubai Aerospace Enterprise (formerly AWAS)
  • Dublin Airport Authority plc
  • Dyson
  • Ebay
  • Equinix Group
  • Everest Re
  • EY
  • Meta
  • FINCAD
  • Fireye
  • Fiserv
  • General Motors
  • Goldman Sachs
  • Hewlett Packard Enterprise
  • HP Enterprise
  • HP Inc
  • Water Wipes
  • JAS Worldwide Management Inc.
  • KPMG
  • Lloyds
  • L’Oreal
  • Macquarie Capital
  • McAfee
  • MetLife
  • Michael Kors
  • Nestle
  • Norwegian Air
  • OpenTable
  • Paypal
  • PepsiCo
  • Radisson Hotels International Inc. t/a Carlson Hospitality Worldwide
  • Reddit, Inc
  • SAP
  • Shire
  • SonicWall
  • Stripe
  • Tokyo Electron
  • Uber
  • UnitedHealth Group
  • Universal Studios
  • UniCredit
  • Vertex Inc.
  • Wells Fargo
  • WeWork
  • Wordplay
  • Xerox
  • Zendesk
  • ZeroChaos (Europe) Limited
  • Zoom Video Communications, Inc.
  • 3M

Work highlights

  • Represented a large multinational medical devices company in successfully defending three penalisation claims brought by a former employee.
  • Advised a global tech organisation on a complex, sensitive and contentious collective redundancy process.
  • Represented a global tech company in a dismissal matter challenged by a senior executive who sought to restrain dismissal on the grounds of redundancy by threatening a whistleblowing injunction before the Circuit Court.

Lawyers

Leading associates
Leading associates with regular involvement in their team's key work, and recognition from peers or clients as being ones to watch.
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Bryan Dunne

Other key lawyers

Geraldine Carr, Russell Rochford, Ailbhe Dennehy, Tina O'Sullivan, Alice Duffy, Jennifer Bassett