Partner Appointment at A&L Goodbody

Leading corporate law firm A&L Goodbody (ALG) has announced the appointment of a new partner at its Belfast office. 

Aisling Byrne has been appointed as partner to the Employment team, bringing the number of partners at the firm’s Belfast office to 16. In total, the firm now has 109 partners across its Belfast, Dublin, London, New York, San Francisco and Palo Alto offices.

ALG’s Employment practice was, once again, ranked Band 1 by Chambers UK and Tier 1 by the Legal 500 UK in the latest editions of the legal directories, with both Aisling Byrne and Gareth Walls, head of Employment at ALG in Belfast, recognised as leaders in their respective areas.

Gareth Walls commented: “Our Employment team has experienced steady and continued growth in demand for our service in recent years – particularly over the past 18 months as employers have continued to contend with challenges and opportunities brought about by the global pandemic, such as the Furlough scheme, return to work and hybrid or agile working. 

“Aisling’s appointment cements our position as the largest and leading go-to Employment team in the jurisdiction for expert advice on a wide portfolio of employment and corporate immigration law considerations.”

Welcoming Aisling’s appointment, Michael Neill, Head of Office at ALG Belfast, said:  "This senior-level appointment comes in response to the firm’s continued growth and success in Northern Ireland and reflects our confidence in the stellar performance of the Employment Unit.  We have no doubt that Aisling's appointment will support Gareth and the wider team in the delivery of market leading commercial employment advice which has become the hallmark of the department. 

“As well as unparalleled technical expertise, our clients have come to expect energy, unwavering confidence and industry know-how from our senior lawyers. Aisling very much fits the bill in this regard and is an outstanding addition to our team. We are proud to have such strong talent across our team of over 120 lawyers and business support professionals in Belfast.”

With over 20 years’ experience in employment and equality law, Aisling Byrne advises on the full remit of employment issues, ranging from employment litigation in the local Tribunal to providing employment support on corporate and procurement matters. Qualified to practice in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, she is a committee member of the Employment Lawyers Association of Ireland and is a qualified mediator.   

Aisling also has a particular interest in data protection law and in 2020 she attained the Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/E) qualification in European data protection law. She advised on and delivered extensive training to businesses on implementing GDPR and since then has advised on a broad spectrum of data protection issues in the business and employment contexts.