Tuesday, 20 October 2026
09:00 - 13:00
(
4 hours )
Online
Employment Equality Update 2026 brings together some of Ireland's most respected employment equality specialists to examine the latest legal developments affecting workplaces across the country.
Chaired by Maeve Regan, Legal Director at Bird & Bird, and featuring expert contributions from Cathal McGreal BL, this annual event provides focused analysis of recent case law, emerging legal developments and their practical implications.
Whether you're advising on equality matters, pursuing or defending claims, representing parties at hearings, or helping your organisation align with best practice, you'll gain the insight needed to navigate this evolving area of law with confidence.
Alongside expert-led sessions, delegates will have the opportunity to engage directly with speakers during live Q&A sessions, receive comprehensive supporting materials and access recordings after the event.
By attending Employment Equality Update 2026, you will:
For employment law practitioners, in-house lawyers and senior HR professionals, keeping pace with developments in employment equality law is essential.
To provide accurate advice, pursue or defend claims effectively, and ensure organisations remain aligned with best practice, you need a clear understanding of how the law is developing and how recent decisions may affect your work.
This annual event offers practical, up-to-date analysis from recognised experts, helping you stay informed and approach employment equality issues with greater confidence.
This event is designed for experienced professionals with a sound working knowledge of employment equality law, including:
Please note: This event is intended for delegates who already have a reasonably sound knowledge of employment equality law and is not suitable for beginners.
Join Ireland's only dedicated employment equality event and gain the expert insight, practical guidance and legal updates you need to stay informed, support your organisation and navigate workplace equality issues with confidence.
Familiarise yourself with the functions of our online event to ensure you maximise return on your investment. Laura McKee, Knowledge Partner, Legal Island.
Setting the scene and what to expect from the day. Maeve Regan, Legal Director, Bird & Bird LLP
Mr Justice Oisín Quinn, High Court, gives the opening address for the event.
Equality claims are often won or lost long before the facts are heard. A missed time limit, the wrong respondent, a refused adjournment - procedural rulings like these can be decisive and often feel harshly unfair to the party on the receiving end. Drawing on his extensive litigation experience and a co-authored book on fair procedures, Cathal McGreal BL examines the procedural rules that really decide these cases and why they're a necessary evil.
Cathal will explore:
Includes A&A with Cathal McGreal Bl.
Stretch your legs, get away from the screen, and we will see you in 25 minutes.
Ireland can't fill its skills gaps, sustain its growth sectors, or compete for talent without migrant workers. Forward-thinking employers already know this and are turning immigration support into a genuine competitive advantage, not just a compliance obligation. This session reframes the conversation: from managing legal risk to unlocking business value, showing why the companies that get this right will out-recruit, out-retain, and out-perform those that don't.
In this session, Ángel Bello Cortés, Partner at Fragomen will explore:
Includes Q&A with Ángel Bello Cortés, Partner at Fragomen.
See you in 15 minutes.
Almost all employment equality rights in Ireland are derived from EU legislation. Therefore, employment equality cases decided at the Court of Justice of the European Union have a major influence on domestic law and often set binding interpretations that must be followed by Irish courts. Cases at the European Court of Human Rights can also have a significant impact in Ireland.
Recent developments at EU level continue to expand the scope of equality law, with a strong focus on pay transparency, corporate reporting, gender balance in leadership, and the regulation of artificial intelligence in employment decision making.
This session, led by Michelle Ní Longáin SC, Head of Employment Law and of the firm’s Public Sector Group at Byrne Wallace Shields LLP covers key EU and international developments, including:
NOTE: Subjects covered in this session may vary and will focus on the most important CJEU/ECtHR cases and other international developments as at October 2026.
Includes Q&A with Michelle Ní Longáin SC, Head of Employment Law and of the firm’s Public Sector Group at Byrne Wallace Shields LLP.
Final words of Day 1 from Maeve Regan.
Laura McKee, Knowledge Partner & Maeve Regan welcome delegates back and summarise key learning points from Day 1 of the event
Equal pay litigation in Ireland is becoming more disclosure and data-driven as pay transparency reforms reshape how claims are evidenced and defended. The focus is shifting from informal comparator arguments towards structured job data, documented decisions and clear role classification.
Irish case law, including Paula Reid v Teagasc, shows the central importance of “like work” analysis and objective justification. UK local authority litigation further illustrates the scale of exposure where job evaluation and pay structures are successfully challenged.
By 2027, pay transparency obligations will place greater scrutiny on internal governance of pay and progression. This session examines how equal pay claims are litigated and defended in this evolving, data-led environment.
Clíona Kimber SC will explore:
Includes Q&A with Clíona Kinber SC
Stretch your legs, get away from the screen, and we will see you in 25 minutes.
Kiwana Ennis BL provides an overview of this year’s important Irish employment equality cases before the WRC, Labour Court, High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court. She highlights the key lessons for employers and employment law practitioners.
NOTE: Subjects covered in this session may vary and will focus on the most important Irish cases as at October 2026.
Includes Q&A with Kiwana Ennis BL.
See you back in five minutes
We cover a lot of equality issues elsewhere in this event. In this final session, Eilis Barry, Chief Executive of FLAC (Free Legal Advice Centres), explores other equality matters that will be relevant to Irish employers not discussed in depth elsewhere, but which are nonetheless impacting Ireland, such as:
NOTE: Subjects covered in this session may vary from those shown and will focus on the most important employment equality developments as at October 2026 that are not explored in detail elsewhere in this programme.
Includes a Q&A with Eilis Barry, Chief Executive of FLAC.
Final words of Day 2 from Maeve Regan.
Hear what previous attendees have to say about Employment Equality Law Update.
Eilis Barry is the Chief Executive of FLAC (Free Legal Advice Centres), an independent legal, equality and human rights non-governmental organisation which exists to promote access to justice.
Prior to joining FLAC, Eilis was a barrister specialising in all aspects of employment law, anti-discrimination and equality. She was the legal adviser of the Equality Authority and head of its legal section from 2000 to 2009, when she resumed practice at the bar.
A former board member and Chairperson of FLAC, Eilis drafted Case Law Review of Mental Health in the Workplace and authored Equality How?, a guide to taking cases under the Employment Equality Acts 1998-2008 and the Equal Status Acts 2000-2008. She is a regular speaker at conferences and seminars on employment and equality law. She is co-editor of ‘Equality in Diversity, the New Equality Directives’, ICEL No. 29, and former editor of the Employment Law Reports.”
Ángel Bello-Cortés is a Partner at Fragomen and oversees the firm's operations in Ireland.
With over two decades of experience in Irish immigration, Ángel and his team assist a diverse client base comprised of multinational corporations, SMEs and start-ups, providing strategic advice and comprehensive day-to-day immigration support to companies and individuals. He is a regular contributor to immigration policy discussions in Ireland and frequently engages with government, industry bodies and professional associations on matters relating to immigration and workforce mobility.
Ángel is admitted as a solicitor in Ireland and prior to joining Fragomen he established and headed the immigration practice of a leading rights-based Irish law firm. During that time he conducted litigation at all levels of the Irish Courts, being the instructing solicitor in several landmark High and Supreme Court immigration and citizenship cases. Since 2019, Ángel has been a guest lecturer on the Law Society of Ireland's Certificate in Immigration Law and Practice. He is also a Committee Member of the Irish Immigration Lawyers' Association (IILA) and a Council Member of Ibec's Labour Market and Skills Council. Ángel has also provided advice to international organisations and State bodies.
Kiwana Ennis graduated from UCD in 1998 before completing her Barrister-at-Law degree at the Honourable Society of Kings Inns. She was called to the Bar of Ireland in 2000. She specialises in employment and equality law and, as an experienced practitioner, has been involved in all aspects of advising and representing clients at various stages of the litigation process. She appears regularly before the Workplace Relations Commission, the Labour Court, and the civil courts acting for both employer and employee and has been involved in cases concerning both the private and public sector. She has also been engaged periodically to act as an independent investigator in workplace investigations.
Clíona Kimber is a Senior Counsel, Barrister and Litigator She is a CEDR accredited Mediator.
She is one of the leading Senior Counsel in Employment and Equality Law, and has acted in leading employment law cases. She regularly acts for the State, private litigants and international companies before the European Court, Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, High Court, Labour Court and Workplace Relations Commission.
She is also an expert in Data Protection Issues in the employment. EU Law. Constitutional Law, Judicial Review, Human Rights and Environmental Law.
Clíona is currently Chair of Comhshaol, the Climate Bar Association, and served as Chair of the Employment Bar Association from 2018-2020.
Cliona is co-author of the leading text on Employment Equality Law and writes extensively on employment law. She currently lectures on the Advanced Diploma in Employment Law at the Kings Inns Dublin.
She lectured part-time Labour Law in Trinity College Dublin from 2000- 2010 , and was a lecturer in Constitutional and International Environmental Law at the University of Aberdeen UK School of Law from 1993 – 2000.
Laura joined Legal Island as a Knowledge Partner in January 2023. Prior to that she worked as an employment law and dispute resolution solicitor with Eugene F. Collins (now Addleshaw Goddard LLP), A&L Goodbody Dublin & Belfast and as an In-House Employment Counsel Secondee at Google.
Laura is also a qualified personal and executive coach, yoga and mindfulness teacher.
Maeve Regan is a Legal Director in Bird & Bird's International Employment group, bringing over 20 years of experience advising on the full range of complex employment law matters. A specialist employment lawyer, Maeve is recognised for her commercially focused, practical and solutions-driven approach, guiding clients through sensitive, novel and strategically significant issues with both deep technical expertise and a clear understanding of the human realities that underpin every employment matter.
Maeve's academic background is central to her practice. She is the General Editor and co-author of the first edition of Employment Law, and Consultant Editor and co-author of the second edition, a leading employment law text in Ireland, reflecting her commitment to clarity, rigour and precision in client advice. She also has significant experience developing pro bono schemes and working in the non-profit sector, underpinned by a broader commitment to access to justice.
At a time when artificial intelligence is reshaping legal advice, Maeve believes that nuanced human judgement, informed by deep experience and technical expertise, matters more than ever.
Cathal McGreal BL is a graduate of UCD and the Honourable Society of Kings Inns with post graduate work in labour law and human rights (B.L.B.C.L. (Eurolegal) 1998). He is a practising barrister in many areas of practise but specialising in criminal law and employment law. He is a published author in both fields. He has represented public and private sector (individual and corporate) clients at every level of the courts and tribunal system. He teaches the HRM40630 Module in the Smurfit School of Business and also lectures widely on the conference circuit on current law and practice.
Michelle is Head of Employment Law and of the firm’s Public Sector Group at Byrne Wallace Shields LLP and is our Compliance Partner. She has extensive experience in all areas of employment, equality and administrative law in three jurisdictions. Michelle qualified as a solicitor in Northern Ireland, practising there in employment and equality law from 1994, practising in England and Wales from 1996 to 1999 and returning to Ireland in 1999 when she joined the firm. Michelle advises public and private sector clients, primarily employers, on complex, novel and challenging areas of employment, equality and administrative law and provides strategic advice including on the resolution of intractable matters.
Michelle is the immediate past President of the Law Society of Ireland (2021- 2022) and has been a member of its Council since 2004. She has chaired many Law Society committees including Education, Finance, Audit subcommittee and Gender Equality Diversity and Inclusion Taskforce. She was a member of the Council of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland from 2007-2013. Michelle has an invaluable perspective in advising clients from her experience in professional and regulatory bodies and from almost three decades of experience in advising and representing clients in significant internal and external matters. Michelle designs and provides comprehensive training.
In October 2024, Michelle was awarded a Patent of Precedence which entitles her to use the title of Senior Counsel. She is one of seven solicitors awarded the title in 2024. Patents of Precedence are granted by the Government, under the terms of the Legal Services Regulation, on the advice of the Advisory Committee on the grant of Patents of Precedence.
Mr Justice Oisín Quinn studied law in UCD (1989) and did a masters in Employment Law in the University of London (1990). He was called to the Bar in 1992 and the Inner Bar in 2008. He specialised in employment law as a barrister. He was then appointed to the High Court in July 2023. He sits in the Chancery Division of the High Court which deals with employment injunctions.
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