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Employment Contracts

Our Employment Team are highly experienced in advising both employers and employees on all aspects of Employment Contracts.

Well-drafted employment contracts are not only a legal requirement, but also essential in bringing clarity to the terms and conditions of employment for both the employer and the employee. They are also the cornerstone of a successful business, providing confidence to investors that your organisation is well run while helping to attract the most talented people.

Our Employment Contracts Expertise

Our Employment Law Team possess the highest levels of commercial acumen and understand the practical realities of running a business. When it comes to drafting, reviewing or updating your company’s employment contracts, our Solicitors will listen to your requirements and create tailored documents designed for your specific needs while conforming to the standard requirements of your market sector.

We act for employers of all sizes and have the skills and experience required to provide strategic advice when it comes to negotiating contracts of service for high level employees, senior managers and directors.

Our focus is to minimise the risk of employee claims, which are costly, time-consuming, and, if not managed effectively, can lead to reputational damage. With our focus on detailed drafting, robust negotiation, and clear strategies, you can be confident your employment law contracts are the best in your industry, allowing you to attract the talent you need to grow.

About Employment Contracts

Employment contracts are particularly complex, especially for employees, with many unclear on the finer details of their contracts. Our team have extensive experience in reviewing employment contracts and working with employees of all levels, including senior executives and company directors. We can assist with various matters including:

General Terms of Employment Contracts
Restrictive Covenants (including Confidentiality Agreements)
Director’s Terms of Employment & Director’s Service Contracts
Employment Contract Disputes

Core Terms of Employment must be proved to the employee within five days of starting work. Under the Terms of Employment (Information) Act 1994-2012, an employee must be presented with a written statement covering the remaining terms of their employment within one month of commencing work. This should include information such as the employee’s job title and nature of the work, location, sick pay and pension details.

Both employer and employee must sign an employment contract, and the staff member must be provided with a copy. Furthermore, employers must retain a copy of any employment contract for one year after the employee leaves service.

The Core Terms of employment are set out in the Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2018 and include:

The Full Names of the Employer and the Employee
The Address of the Employer
The expected Duration of the Contract (if the contract is temporary or fixed term)
The Rate or Method of Calculating Pay and the Pay Reference period for the purposes of the National Minimum Wage Act 2000 (e.g. a week, a fortnight or a month)
The Hours of Work
Place of Work
Date Employment Commenced
Job Title
What the Employer reasonably expects the normal length of the Employees Working Day and Week to be.
Duration and Conditions relating to Probation.

Whether you have been asked to sign a new Employment contract or have a concern about the terms of an existing contract, we can review and advise on your options. We also have extensive experience in representing employees during contract negotiations, ensuring our clients are happy with the end result.

It is increasingly common for Employment Contracts to include clauses known as ‘Restrictive Covenants’ that go beyond the standard terms of employment. Examples of restrictive covenants include:

Non-Competition Clauses – barring an employee from working for a competitor for a set period of time after their current employment ends.
Confidentiality Agreements – specifying that an employee must not share information about the business, its activities and other sensitive matters with third-parties.
Non-Solicitation Clauses – preventing an employee who leaves from enticing other employees to do the same.

Where a dispute has arisen over an employment contract, our Employment Team can review your contract and advise on how it applies to the dispute. We can then support you in pursuing a fair resolution to your dispute, including through options such as a settlement agreements and alternative dispute resolution which may allow you to achieve an amicable solution quickly and cost-effectively.

Where appropriate, we can assist with referring an Employment contract dispute to the Workplace Relations Commission ("WRC") or the Labour Court. Should this be necessary, our Employment Team can assist with preparing your case and we can represent you during any hearings that take place.

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Why Choose Lavelle Partners for Employment Contracts?

Our Employment Team, headed up by Partner Marc Fitzgibbon, are highly experienced in advising both employers and employees on all aspects of Employment Contracts and have developed a strong reputation for excellence in this area of law.
Marc is ranked in Band 2 in the latest Chambers and Partners Europe 2024 Guide for Employment: Mainly Plaintiff.
We are experts in advising on Employment Contracts, General Terms of Employment Contracts, Employment Contract Disputes, Restrictive Covenants, Director’s Terms of Employment & Director’s Service Contracts.
In many cases, particularly for employer clients in the UK when they have a branch or setting up a business in Ireland, in order to maintain uniformity and continuity, can convert and amend their existing England and Wales / Northern Ireland employment contracts and employment handbooks to incorporate Irish law, Irish Statutes and standards and practices.
As a full-service law firm, client's benefit from our multi-disciplinary offering and our specialist legal expertise across a number of related practice areas including Banking & Finance, Corporate & Commercial and Property.