See below link for the notice of the ELG Annual General Meeting to take place on Thursday 28th September 2023 at 4pm at Law Society House, Belfast. This event is in-person only.

The notice includes details of how to nominate committee members.

Tuesday 28th February 2023 – 4:00pm-5:00pm
Hybrid event – in-person at Law Society House, Belfast, and remote via Microsoft Teams
Register here
FREE

About the Event
Welcome to our February Employers Lawyers Group NI (ELG NI) Event where we will have a panel discussion on ‘Reasonable Adjustments/Capacity issues’ within an Employment context.
You have the option to attend in person at Law Society House Belfast -Tribunal Room (tickets limited) or join us online via Microsoft Teams.
For those attending in person tea/coffee and refreshments will be available after the meeting at 5pm.
Please indicate which ticket type you prefer when choosing your ticket. The online video link will be emailed to you before the meeting if you chose to attend this way.
This will be a panel discussion and the three panelists are Dr Victoria Bratten, Jenny Humphreys and Emma McIlveen.

About the Speakers
Dr Victoria Bratten
Dr Victoria Bratten is a Senior Specialist Educational, Child and Adolescent Psychologist. She specialises in Neurodevelopmental Disorders (Autism Spectrum Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, trauma and attachment, Specific Learning Difficulties and associated Mental Health Conditions). Her specialist age group is from the ages of 0-25 years. However, part of her training the “educational” aspect allows her skills to be applied to Adults. She is currently employed as a Senior Specialist Psychologist with Sensations Learning Support.

She has an undergraduate Applied Psychology degree (BSc Hons) from the University of Ulster (2004), Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) from Stranmillis University College (2005), Doctor of Philosophy (2008) from the University of Ulster and a Doctorate in Developmental, Educational, Child and Adolescent Psychology (DECAP).

She has previous experience as an Employee of the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust Therapeutic Support Services (TSS) supporting children, families, and professionals involved with children who are Looked After and within their Child and Adolescent Autism Assessment Service. She also has experience in Child Health Psychology and in Children and Young People’s Learning Disability Services. Regarding her work with adults for the past 10 years she has conducted Cognitive /Educational assessments across all age groups including identifying Specific Learning Difficulties and Generalised Learning Difficulties. She also previously worked for the NI Prison Service (HMP Maghaberry).

Throughout her career she has been involved in supporting individuals with neurodiversity. She has lectured across Further Education Colleges, the University of Ulster and Queen’s University Belfast. She assesses for academic access arrangements and reasonable adjustments across all educational environments. She also assesses for those in employment and how best employers can meet the client’s neurodiversity. Her role as an expert witness has been to advise courts on a client’s capacity, how behaviour can be understood in the context of their neurodevelopment profile, how adjustments can be made to accommodate the client neurodiversity and also in educating Jurys as to what it means to have neurodiversity.

Jenny Humphreys
Jenny Humphreys is a Speech & Language Therapist (BSc Hons RCSLT HCP) graduated from Speech & Language Pathology in 2004. After working for 12 years in the NHS, she qualified as a Registered Intermediary in 2016.

As a Speech and Language Therapist, she worked with adult and paediatric caseloads across a variety of settings including hospital, community, domiciliary and special schools. She specialised in the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of communication disorders, and laterally managed adults with swallowing disorders i.e., dysphagia. She has also worked in a private capacity with neurological and voice disorders.

As an Intermediary she has almost 7 years’ experience in assessing adults and children with communication difficulties within the Criminal Justice System. The role includes facilitating communication at the investigative stages and at court to enable children and vulnerable adults’ access to a fair trial and to assist them in giving evidence in a clear, complete, and coherent manner.

She routinely provides training to the PSNI, PPS and NHS on the RI role and she has recently co-authored a journal for the International Journal of Communication Disorders. She is a Facilitator and Mentor for the Peer Group Support Network and in 2023 agreed to become a guest lecturer at the University of Limerick, on their Intermediary training course.

Emma McIlveen
Emma is a specialist employment disputes barrister, providing strategic advisory and advocacy services to respondents and claimants.

Questions
At the end of the meeting, we will host a Q&A session, where the panelists will take questions from attendees. We would welcome questions in advance. Please email any questions by midday on 27th February to employmentlawyersgroupni@gmail.com

Thursday 12th January 2023 – 1:00pm-2:00pm
Hybrid event – in person at Law Society House, Belfast and Microsoft Teams
Register here
FREE

About the Event
Welcome to our January Employers Lawyers Group NI (ELG NI) event ‘Assessing Loss within an Employment Context’ with guest speaker Stephen Burns from ASM Accounting. You have the option to attend in person at Law Society House Belfast -Tribunal Room (tickets limited) or join us online via Microsoft Teams. For those attending in person tea/coffee and refreshments will be available before the meeting from 12:30pm.

About the Speaker
Stephen Burns is a Director of ASM Accountants. He graduated from The Queen’s University of Belfast in 2001 with an Honours Degree in Accountancy and subsequently completed a Masters in Accountancy at the University of Ulster in 2002. He joined ASM’s Forensic Services team in 2014 and specialises in commercial and contractual disputes and the quantification of financial losses. Stephen has also undertaken fraud and accounting irregularity investigations.

Questions
At the end of the session, we will host a Q&A session, where Ian will take questions from attendees. Whilst there will be a live Q&A function during the meeting, we would welcome questions in advance. Please email any questions by midday on 11th January 2023 to employmentlawyersgroupni@gmail.com.

Thursday 15th December 2022 – 1:00pm-2:00pm
Hybrid event – in person at Law Society House, Belfast and Microsoft Teams
Register here
FREE

About the Event
Welcome to our December Employers Lawyers Group NI (ELG NI) Event where Ian Skelt KC will give a talk on ‘Injunctions within an Employment Context’. You have the option to attend in person at Law Society House Belfast -Tribunal Room (tickets limited) or join us online via Microsoft Teams. For those attending in person tea/coffee and refreshments will be available before the meeting from 12:30pm.

About the Speaker
Ian is a highly experienced silk with extensive experience in police law, all aspects of inquest law, administrative law, employment law and regulatory work. A member of the Government’s ‘A’ Panel for civil work (NI), he is well known for his compelling advocacy and comprehensive knowledge of his brief. He represented West Yorkshire Police in the Supreme Court in a review of civil liability of the police for operational activity and was Counsel to the Coroner in the Jordan Inquest.

Questions
At the end of the session, we will host a Q&A session, where Ian will take questions from attendees. Whilst there will be a live Q&A function during the meeting, we would welcome questions in advance. Please email any questions by midday on 14th December 2022 to employmentlawyersgroupni@gmail.com.

Tuesday 8th November 2022 – 4:00pm-5:00pm
Hybrid event – in person at Law Society House, Belfast and Microsoft Teams
Register here
FREE

About the Event
This is an event hosted in collaboration with the Young Bar Association and Northern Ireland Young Solicitor’s Association. Timothy Warnock BL will be covering the basics of discrimination law in Northern Ireland.

About the Speaker
Timothy Warnock was called in 2004 and is a barrister specialising in civil and commercial litigation. He has a particular interest and experience in commercial litigation; employment law; personal injury litigation and liquor licensing. Tim is a committee member of the Employment Lawyers Group.

Questions
At the end of the session, we will host a Q&A session, where Tim will take questions from attendees. Whilst there will be a live Q&A function during the meeting, we would welcome questions in advance. Please email any questions by midday on 7th November 2022 to employmentlawyersgroupni@gmail.com.

Wednesday 5th October 2022 – 4:00pm-5:00pm
Hybrid event – in person at Law Society House, Belfast and Microsoft Teams
Register here
FREE

About the Event
Welcome to our October Employers Lawyers Group NI (ELG NI) Event where recently appointed President of the Industrial Tribunals and Fair Employment Tribunal in Northern Ireland, Mr Noel Kelly will give a talk on the ‘Roadmap for NI Industrial and Fair Employment Tribunals’.

For those attending the event in person refreshments will be provided after the event.

About the Speaker
Mr Noel Kelly graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Law in June 1976. He was admitted as a Solicitor in July 1979. Mr Kelly first entered the judiciary as a fee paid Employment Judge. Having been appointed as a full time Employment Judge he was subsequently appointed Vice President of the Industrial Tribunals and Fair Employment Tribunal (ITFET) in October 2010. He was appointed President of the ITFET in April 2022.

Questions
At the end of the Microsoft Teams meeting, we will host a Q&A session, where Mr Kelly will take questions from attendees. Whilst there will be a live Q&A function during the meeting, we would welcome questions in advance. Please email any questions by midday on Wednesday 5th October 2022 to employmentlawyersgroupni@gmail.com.

Wednesday 14th September 2022 – 1:00pm-2:00pm
Hybrid event – in person at Law Society House, Belfast and Zoom Webinar
Register here
FREE

About the Event
Welcome to our September Employers Lawyers Group NI Event where Aisling Byrne will discuss data protection for employment lawyers. She will cover the basic principles and concepts contained within the Data Protection Act 2018 and the implementation of GDPR in the United Kingdom. She will consider the principles applying to dealing with data subject access requests and managing data breaches. She will also consider employee monitoring and relevant data protection issues and examine data sharing in corporate transactions.
You have the option to attend in person at Law Society House Belfast -Tribunal Room (tickets limited) or join us online via Zoom meeting.
For those attending in person refreshments will be available from 12.30pm.
Please indicate which ticket type you prefer when choosing your ticket and if attending in person please fill out any dietary requirements (tea/coffee and sandwiches will be provided). The online video link will be emailed to you before the meeting if you chose to attend this way.

About the Speaker
Aisling Byrne is partner in the A&L Goodbody Employment & Incentives team in Northern Ireland and has over 20 years’ experience in advising on employment and equality law. Aisling advises on contentious employment litigation, employment aspects of commercial transactions and procurement. Aisling is qualified to practice in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, and she is a qualified mediator. She also specialises in data protection law and is Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/E) qualified. She has delivered extensive training to businesses on implementing GDPR and since then has advised on a broad spectrum of data protection issues including data breaches, data protection impact assessments, data subject access requests and data sharing agreements. Aisling is also the Treasurer of ELGNI.

Questions
At the end of the Zoom meeting, we will host a Q&A session, where Aisling will take questions from attendees. Whilst there will be a live Q&A function during the meeting, we would welcome questions in advance. Please email any questions by midday on Wednesday 14th September 2022 to employmentlawyersgroupni@gmail.com.

Wednesday 2nd February 2022 – 12:00pm-1:00pm
Remote via Zoom Webinar
Register here
FREE to ELGNI members

About this Event
Since the devolution of employment law powers to the Northern Ireland Assembly, there has been an ever increasing divergence between employment laws in Northern Ireland and those in Great Britain. As practitioners it is imperative to understand the differences in order to properly advise clients. Legislation and caselaw from one jurisdiction may have more limited applicability in the other or there may be fundamental requirements that must be adhered to in one territory that do not apply in the other. In this session Rachel Best BL will cover the key differences between the jurisdictions and enable you to navigate your way around those divergences, including in relation to:

• Discrimination and equality 
• Termination 
• Redundancies
• TUPE  
• Working Time and Holidays

This event is being offered free to members of the ELGNI.

Thursday 20th January 2022 – 11:00am-12:00pm
Remote via Zoom Webinar
Register here
FREE

About this Event
Mark McAllister from the Labour Relations Agency, employment specialist Emma McIlveen BL, and Scott Alexander from Legal Island will be discussing the top 10 employment cases of the year from NI and GB.