Bryan "takes proactive management of issues" and "is a strong communicator who is always available".
Chambers Europe

Expertise

Bryan Dunne is a partner and head of the Employment Practice at Matheson. He advises on a variety of aspects of employment law, both contentious and non-contentious.

This work includes preparation of senior executive service agreements and severance arrangements for international employers, defence work in contentious employment litigation matters and advising on all employment aspects of commercial transactions. He also regularly advises employers on internal grievance and disciplinary processes, with particular focus on senior executive level employees.

Bryan is a member of the Employment Lawyers Association of Ireland, and the European Employment Lawyers Association. He is also a member of American Bar Association’s International Labour and Employment Law section and a co-author of the Irish Chapter for the ABA's annual publication on International Labour and Employment Law. He has also presented at numerous ABA and other events in the US and Europe and has been the European Chair of the ABA CLE teleconference training programme since 2006.

Bryan has also written articles for Irish and European trade and legal publications on employment issues, and is a tutor and examiner on employment law on the Law Society's solicitor training course. He has published a chapter on International Employment and Secondment in a leading Irish employment law text, and is a regular speaker on cross border employment issues to US audiences.

He is also a fluent Spanish speaker and a member of the Irish Spanish Economic Association, and advises many leading Spanish companies on employment law issues in their Irish operations.

Experience Highlights

Bryan's clients include a broad base of leading international companies and financial institutions, requiring diverse advice on compliance, operational and management issues in setting up and running their Irish business.
Due to his involvement in some of the largest Irish and cross border corporate transactions in recent years, Bryan has also built up considerable experience in the varied employment and labour aspects that arise in commercial projects and reorganisations when acting for foreign purchasers, such as the Transfer of Undertakings Regulations, employee relocation and post acquisition restructuring. He has also led the employment due diligence on a number of high value private equity investments and acquisitions. This experience spans numerous industry and regulated sectors and includes both the public and private sector.
He advised Marks and Spencer Plc in the successful defence of a challenge by its European Works Council to a European wide rationalisation programme, and more recently, successfully defended a leading US manufacturer in a challenge under the exceptional collective redundancy legislation before the Labour Court, the second only such case to date.
He advised on the purchase of a large part of Pfizer’s Irish operations by Portuguese pharmaceutical manufacturer Hovione and led the employment team on the $1.75 billion NYSE merger of Aercap and Genesis Lease Finance, as well as leading the employment aspects of a number of high profile inward investment projects into the Irish market. More recently, he has been involved in a number of senior executive restructuring projects and is currently advising a leading financial services institution on the implementation of a cross border merger.
Bryan has in addition acted for various bidders in the purchase of former State assets, including acting for Babcock and Brown on the acquisition of eircom, the former national telephone utility. He also acted for a major Spanish energy provider in the purchase of a number of existing power stations from the Irish State and the subsequent sale. Bryan has acted in a number of large public/private partnership projects between the State and various international private enterprises, acting for finance houses and service providers. He acted for the Irish Minister for Transport on the break up of the Irish airports regulatory authority and in drafting the implementing legislation.
Bryan also has particular expertise in relation to equality law and advising employers on how this can impact their organisation. Bryan’s recent work has also included advising employers in relation to preparing for the proposed Irish gender pay gap reporting legislation, the conducting of gender pay gap audits and the implication and opportunities for employers in addressing a gender pay gap.

Accolades

Clients say "we feel like his number one priority on every matter, regardless of the complexity or volume."
Employment: Chambers Europe 2020

"He is our go-to; a feisty litigator," reports a client.
Employment: Chambers Europe 2020

Bryan Dunne is recommended.
European Legal 500 2020

Bryan Dunne is named a leading individual.
European Legal 500 2020

Bryan Dunne is "outstanding".
European Legal 500 2020

Bryan Dunne provides an "excellent level of service".
European Legal 500 2019

Bryan Dunne is named a leading individual.
European Legal 500 2019

Bryan Dunne “is one of the best negotiators I’ve come across in my career”.
Employment: Chambers Europe 2019

Bryan Dunne understands the "needs of clients in the tech sector better than any other employment lawyer".
Employment: Chambers Europe 2019

Bryan Dunne is a "brilliant lawyer, providing sound, practical advice and excellent written legal documents".
Employment: Chambers Europe 2019

Recognised for Labour and Employment Law
Best Lawyers Ireland 2019 edition

Bryan Dunne "understands the needs and commercial imperatives of US clients".
European Legal 500 2018

Bryan Dunne is "extremely accommodating for our global needs."
Chambers Europe 2018

Recognised for Labour and Employment Law
Best Lawyers Ireland 2018 edition

Bryan Dunne is recommended.
European Legal 500 2017

Bryan Dunne has "significant substantive knowledge".
European Legal 500 2017

Bryan Dunne is named Best of the Best for Employment
Euromoney Best of the Best Expert Guide 2017

Bryan is "extremely knowledgeable in the area of employment law in Ireland. He is very eloquent and a very nice person to work with."
Chambers Europe 2017

lients and peers as being among the world's pre-eminent Management Labour and Employment lawyers Who's Who Legal. He is also recognised as a leading lawyer by Best Lawyers.

Education

University College Dublin (Diploma in Employment Law)

Law Society of Ireland (Diploma in Commercial Law)

Law Society of Ireland (Diploma in Advanced European Law)

University of Limerick (Bachelor of Arts in Law and European Studies)

Matheson COVID-19 Employer Return-to-Work Survey Results

Sep 8, 2020, 21:33 PM

As businesses turn their attention to reopening their workplaces, we asked 250 in-house counsel and HR professionals who participated in our recent COVID-19: Returning to the Workplace webinar for their perspectives on the reopening of their organisations.

Title : Matheson COVID-19 Employer Return-to-Work Survey Results

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Insight Date : Jun 5, 2020, 12:10 PM

In our webinar, we considered the various measures set out in the Return to Work Safely Protocol published by the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation on 8 May 2020 and the extensive employment law, health and safety and data privacy issues for organisations to take note of. The results indicate a cautious approach is being taken by organisations in reopening their workplaces.

The majority of respondents (62%) believe that less than 50% of their workforce will be back in the workplace by October 2020, indicating that for those workplaces where employees can work from home, many employees will be continuing to do so for the next number of months. Only 38% of respondents believe that more than 50% of their workforce will be back in the workplace by October 2020.

The response is in line with the Roadmap to Reopening Business and Society (the “Roadmap”), published by the Irish government on 1 May 2020. While the Roadmap is subject to review, it gives us a sense, for now, of what the timetable for reopening workplaces will look like if all goes according to plan. Up until phase 5 (currently scheduled for 10 August 2020), organisations are required to maintain remote working for all employees and workers that are in a position to do so. Even in phase 5, the government’s summary of the Roadmap provides for continued remote working for all that can do so. Indeed, many large technology companies have announced that they have extended their work from home policies until 2021.

52% of respondents confirmed that their organisations do intend to carry out temperature testing of employees when employees return to the workplace. The current advice on temperature testing set out in the Return to Work Safely Protocol (the “Protocol”), published on 8 May 2020, is that employers must implement temperature testing “in line with public health advice”. Mandatory temperature testing in workplaces is not part of the public health advice issued by the Health Service Executive (“HSE”) in Ireland at this time, with the exception of certain healthcare settings. That is not to say employers cannot implement temperature testing of employees as part of their health and safety protocols. However, before doing so, employers should carefully consider the associated data privacy and employment law issues.

While the vast majority of respondents (80%) said that they do not intend to carry out other forms of COVID-19 testing of employees when employees return to the workplace, 20% of respondents said that they do plan to carry out such testing. COVID-19 testing will involve a novel type of processing of sensitive employee health data for most organisations and it can present a myriad of issues and associated risks for employers. Employers must be able to identify a legal basis under Article 6 of the GDPR, and an exemption under Article 9 of the GDPR in order to legally carry out such processing. A data protection impact assessment should be carried out in advance of any such testing to review the probable risks to employees’ data privacy rights and the safeguards in place to mitigate these risks.

Visit our COVID-19 Insights Centre page for further legal updates and insights regarding COVID-19.

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