Category: Articles (Page 1 of 7)

Diversity in the workplace means that there is a wide variety of individuals at every level in the company, and those individuals have differing lived experiences. They are of different genders, ages, sexualities, abilities, races, colours, nationalities, religious beliefs, family situations, socio-economic background, cultures, and professional and educational backgrounds.

Directive (EU) 2019/1023 was transposed in Irish law on 29^th July 2022 by the SI No. 380 of 2022 European Union (Preventive Restructuring) Regulations 2022. The Regulations provide for added protections for companies struggling with solvency and for creditors of such companies. The objective of the directive is to harmonise and simplify restructuring and insolvency measures throughout the EU.

Some confusion can arise when businesses are implementing Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policies, also known as an EDI Policy or a Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (GEDI) Policy. The terms equality, diversity and inclusion while overlapping mean very different things.

Until now employers were not obliged to pay employees for absences for sickness, unless they had provided for such in the contract of employment. Many employers currently pay the first three days of sick leave, as most employees are entitled to social welfare payments beginning after the first three days of illness.

The Sick Leave Bill 2022 has been passed by government, and will commence shortly. It obliges employers to pay their employees when they are absent due to illness. The bill requires that a where a sick employee has thirteen weeks service, the employer must pay 70% of his or her daily pay up to a maximum of €110 per day.

An Enduring Power of Attorney (EPA) is a document made by any person with full mental capacity directing who should look after their affairs if they should lose decision-making capacity at any point in the future. This action is available to everyone to allow us to plan for our own futures.

Time and time again the courts are left to unravel the tangled web of probate disputes and problems arising from the lack of clarity by a testator. Many of these disputes could have been avoided had a solicitor drafted the will. Solicitors are trained to elucidate the intentions of a testator, and to avoid the traps and pitfalls of loose language and the possible differing legal definitions of words.

In any merger or acquisition of shares, one of the crucial elements to consider at an early stage is how the stakeholders will conduct their business after the transaction completes. There can be a lot of focus on getting the deal done, but it is important to also prepare for smooth running post-completion.

The landscape of work has changed in the past two years. There is a greater focus on getting the job done, and less focus on how and when the job gets gets done. While this has had an overall benefit to workplace wellness, there are some issues to be conscious of for employers.

When a person dies without having made a valid will (dies intestate), the Succession Act 1965 sets out who shall inherit their estate and in what shares. These rules are not flexible, and may not be the most prudent or the most tax-efficient way to provide for a family, which is why it is preferable to make a will and leave instructions as to how your estate will be distributed.

Amid reports of a protestor driving a truck through the closed gates of the Russian Embassy in Dublin, the Embassy has released a statement alleging that the action is in violation of Article 22 of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. I question whether this is indeed a breach of the convention, or are the alleged actions of the protester simply criminal damage.