Emmet Whelan is a Partner in the ByrneWallace LLP Employment team. 

With over ten years’ employment law experience, Emmet advises on all aspects of employment law and in particular specialises in contentious employment matters and employee benefits. Clients include senior executives and large public and private sector employers. 

Key Experience

• Advises on all aspects of employment law including immigration, recruitment, drafting contracts and policies, performance management, grievances, whistleblowing, disciplinary matters, dismissal, employment equality, transfer of undertakings, re-organisation, employee benefits and pensions.
• Acted for a number of start-up companies providing immigration assistance and advice on contracts, policies and procedures.
• Advises one of Europe’s largest insurers on employment issues including advice on a large scale restructure of its workforce.
• Advises a number of banks and other financial institutions on a wide range of employment issues in the financial services sector.
• Provides on going employment assistance to a multinational pharma company on a diverse range of matters.
• Provides employment advice in the retail sector, dealing with general day-to-day queries and providing representation in employment claims before the Workplace Relations Commission.
• Advises a number of regulators on employment related issues including pay and employee benefits.
• Provided very significant advice to the public sector on employment, employee benefits and pension matters, including advice to Government Departments on specific issues related to the civil service.
• Deals with a range of employment litigation for employers and senior executives, including many high value claims before the High Court. 
• Provides tailored employment law training sessions for clients and contacts.
  

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Civil Law Degree, University College Dublin, 1999
• Masters in Commercial Law, University College Dublin, 2001
• Qualified Solicitor, Law Society of Ireland, 2007
• Diploma in Employment Law, Law Society of Ireland, 2007
• Diploma in Pensions Law, Law Society of Ireland, 2014

Memberships

• Law Society of Ireland
• Dublin Solicitors Bar Association
• Employment Law Association of Ireland
• European Employment Lawyers Association

Publications

• Emmet is co-author of Tottel's Employment Law in Ireland and the Law Society Employment Law Manual.
• Emmet has lectured on employment law issues at Griffith College Dublin, the Ireland-France Chamber of Commerce, German-Irish Chamber of Commerce, Legal Island and Public Affairs Ireland.
• Emmet has contributed to the Irish Employment Law Journal, the Employment Law Review and the Journal of Public Affairs Ireland. 

Recommendations

“Emmet is very accessible, not hard to get to if you are in an emergency.” - Chambers Europe, 2023

“He is very helpful.” - Chambers Europe, 2023

“‘Emmet Whelan is excellent.” - Legal 500, 2023

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. - Chambers Europe, 2022

"We work with Emmet Whelan in this firm and he is very responsive, always adopts a practical common sense approach and is very adept at measuring risk and dealing with it appropriately. I find him very thoughtful, flexible and balanced." - Legal 500, 2021

Emmet Whelan is "very knowledgeable in his area and a pleasure to deal with," according to a source. He has experience in restructuring mandates and unfair dismissal cases. - Chambers Europe, 2021

Emmet Whelan "is consistently excellent, very down to earth and reasonable," and "delivers well thought-out advice every time. - Chambers Europe, 2020

Emmet Whelan advises companies on internal investigations and complaints to regulatory authorities involving unfair dismissals, equality matters and protected disclosure cases. He also has experience of restructuring and collective redundancy processes. - Chambers Europe, 2019

Interviewees say: "He thinks things through in detail and then gives his advice in the context of the bigger picture. He is also a calm influence in difficult situations." - Chambers Europe, 2019

Emmet Whelan provides ‘balanced, clear and well-presented advice’ - Legal 500, 2018