In this month's First Tuesday Q&A, Joe Mahon, Associate in A&L Goodbody's Employment Practice Group, provides an overview of how the law distinguishes employees from independent contractors, including a summary of recent case law in this area. 

Introduction

The use of independent contractors can be commercially advantageous for both businesses and individuals. For businesses, engaging contractors can provide much-needed independent input on bespoke projects requiring expertise that cannot normally be sourced from its employees. For contractors, the independence of their engagement affords them a degree of entrepreneurship that is not normally associated with taking up employment with one business.

That being said, there are circumstances where the purported use of contractors does not reflect the