Aoife Bradley is a Partner in the Byrne Wallace Shields LLP Employment Law Team.

Aoife provides strategic advice to international and domestic clients across all aspects of contentious and non-contentious employment law matters and regularly assists clients in developing risk management strategies.   She has significant experience in advising on a broad range of complex and sensitive matters, including investigations, employment disputes and negotiating severance arrangements.

Aoife has considerable experience advising employers in respect of unfair dismissal claims, employment injunctions, discrimination claims, redundancy issues, the protection of confidential information, disciplinary investigations and related proceedings. Aoife has also acted in many high-profile employment related disputes involving senior executives and pension and employee benefit related disputes. She regularly represents clients before the Workplace Relations Commission and the courts and has extensive experience in successful mediation and dispute resolution.

Aoife is a regular speaker at seminars and conferences on employment issues. She has had articles published on employment issues in the national and international press and in legal journals.  

Experience

• Acting in high profile High Court proceedings brought by an employee shareholder and director.
• Guiding international employers on complex and sensitive large-scale restructuring/redundancy programmes and claims arising therefrom. 
• Advising multinational employer in respect of High Court injunction proceedings restraining the unauthorised use of confidential information.
• Acting on behalf of employers and insurers in the defence of employer liability claims.
• Advising US headquartered employers on global mobility issues, rewards and benefits, remote working and whistleblowing.
• Advising employers in respect of sensitive workplace investigations, suspensions, disciplinary and grievance issues.
• Advising an employer in relation to issues arising from the Central Bank of Ireland’s Fitness and Probity regime.
• Advising employers in respect of dignity at work issues and acting in the defence of dignity at work/equality claims before the Workplace Relations Commission and the courts.
• Advising international employers on the nature of their agency workers arrangements and the implications arising therefrom.
• Advising on Transfer of Undertakings issues in the context of outsourcing, service provider changes and mergers/acquisitions. 

Qualifications

• Admitted to the Roll of Solicitors, Law Society of Ireland, 1998 
• LL.B. (Hons), University of London

Memberships

• Senior Vice-Chair of Employment & Industrial Relations Committee, International Bar Association
• Member of the Employment Law Association of Ireland 
• Member of the European Employment Lawyers Association (EELA)

Recommendations

• Selected by Who’s Who Legal (WWL)’s independent research, as being among the highest-ranked Lawyers in WWL: Thought Leaders Global Elite 2025 for Labour, Employment & Benefits. 
• Responsiveness, teamwork, careful work, high-quality. Aoife Bradley has done most of our work.’ Recommended for Employment. - Legal 500 2024
  
• “Aoife is very approachable, understanding and shows empathy at all times. She is super informative and takes a very practical approach.” Recommended for Employment. - Chambers Europe 2024
  
• Aoife Bradley is good at delivering measured, balanced input and is great at dealing with difficult matters.” Recommended for Employment. - Chambers Europe 2024
  
• Recommended for Employment. - Legal 500 2023
  
• Recommended for Employment. - Chambers Europe 2023
  
• Aoife Bradley: Very experienced practitioner and regarded very highly in the Irish market for contentious employment and commercial litigation advice. Very client-focused. Consistent advice and follow-up. Very quickly understands the brief ( approachable and a good listener). She is solutions-driven. Her practical approach combined with excellent negotiation skills delivers optimum outcomes for her clients. Best in class service – would highly recommend Aoife and team for employment-related matters." - Legal 500 2022
  
• "She offers practical, sound advice, is an excellent communicator and can break down often complex issues." Recommended for Employment. - Chambers Europe 2022
• "Aoife Bradley and Einde O’Donnell are the finest practitioners I have worked with in 30 years of international business." Recommended for Employment and Pensions and Employee Benefits. - Legal 500 2021
  
• "Solutions-driven, practical and very client-centric." Recommended for Employment. - Chambers Europe 2021
• ‘Aoife Bradley is very knowledgeable in all areas of Irish employment law and provides good and responsive advice.’ Recommended for Employment. - Legal 500 2020
  
• Recommended for Pensions and Employee Benefits. - Legal 500 2020
  
• "From a litigation standpoint she is very practical; she drives forward for a result and is able to quickly reach a resolution." Recommended for Employment. - Chambers Europe 2020
  
• Ranked in the 'Thought Leaders - Global Elite 2019' for Labour, Employment & Benefits. - Who's Who Legal 2019
  
• Recommended for Labour, Employment & Benefits. - Who's Who Legal 2019
  
• Exceptional’ practice head Aoife Bradley is recommended for Employment and Pensions & Employee Benefits. - Legal 500 2019
  
• "Her communication is excellent and she is very good with the details." Recommended for Employment. - Chambers Europe 2019
  
• Recommended for Labour, Employment & Benefits. - Who's Who Legal 2018
  
• Recommended for Employment. - Legal 500 2018
  
• "She is always very knowledgeable, and has a good understanding of how the organisation operates and the challenges we face." Recommended for Employment. - Chambers Europe 2018
  
• Clients say she is "very reassuring and incredibly helpful". - Chambers Europe 2017
  
• Recommended for her work on adversarial issues, such as senior executive exits. Sources emphasise her client skills and commercial focus. - Chambers Europe 2016
  
• Aoife Bradley is described as ‘proactive and straight-talking’ and has ‘an excellent grasp of court processes’. - Legal 500 2015
  
• Clients describe her as "available, personable and patient." - Chambers Europe 2015
  
• She goes beyond what is required to ensure a solid, high-quality job is done. - Chambers Europe 2015
  
• Recognised as a leading lawyer. - Who's Who Legal: Managment Labour and Employment 2014
  
• Aoife Bradley is direct, succinct and intelligent. She is a strong litigator with sufficient steel in her to get settlements agreed; she is a realistic negotiator who gets the deal done. - Chambers Europe 2014
  
• Aoife Bradley gives added value. When you ask for advice she explains it in depth and relates it to case studies. - Chambers Europe 2013
  
• Recognised as a leading lawyer. - Who’s Who of Management Labour and Employment Lawyers 2013
  
• Aoife Bradley is valued by sources as someone “you can talk to in a practical way and with whom you can work out a solution”. Recognised as a Leading Individual for Employment. - Chamber Europe 2012
  
• She is valued by clients for her thorough approach and talent in court. - Chambers Europe 2011
  
• Recommended "as a leader in [her] field" for employment. - Chambers Europe 2011