About Melanie

Melanie is Head of our Employment Law & Benefits team. She covers the full range of employment law and is a trusted advisor on complex workplace issues. She is widely recognised as a game-changer when resolving seemingly intractable employment problems.

Melanie is the go-to lawyer for some of Ireland’s biggest domestic and multi-national companies on contentious and non-contentious employment matters.

She assists clients in drafting bespoke employment contracts, agreements and HR policies and procedures. Melanie also provides on-going support to HR managers in the management of day to day disciplinary issues along with more strategic internal reorganisations and rationalisations. Her wealth of knowledge and experience on challenges like transfer of undertakings and large scale outsourcing transactions is particularly noted in the market.

Employment law
Industrial relations law
Immigration law

Melanie advises many of Ireland’s biggest domestic and multi-national companies and employers including:

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Salesforce
Synopsys
Arvato
Accenture
Western Union

Authorships

Melanie has contributed to several international publications such as the Irish chapter of the International Expatriate Employment Handbook, the Irish chapter of EU and International Employment Law, the Irish chapter of Employment and Labour Law – Jurisdictional Comparisons and the Irish chapter of Restrictive Covenants and Trade Secrets in Employment Law – An International Survey.

Engagements

External Examiner in Employment Law for the Law Society.
Lecturer in Employment Law on the Law Society’s Diploma in Employment Law.
Member of the Advisory Board of the American Employment Lawyers Association since 2016.
Regular attendee and speaker at American Bar Association (International Labor Law) events.

Education

University College Dublin , BBLS
University College Dublin, Dip Emp Law

Professional Membership

Co-Chair of the International Labor Law Subcommittee of the Employment Rights and Responsibilities Section of the ABA.
International Labor Law Committee
European Lawyers Association.
International Labor Law Section of the American Bar Association (ABA).
American Employment Law Council (AELC).
Association of Employment Lawyers Ireland (ELAI).

Advised a large financial institution on two separate significant and strategic outsourcings.
Advised a large financial institution on the disciplining of an employee involved in fraudulent activities.
Advised a major technology company on a large scale multijurisdictional restructuring exercise.
Advised a major consultancy practice on an audit by the WRC.
Successfully defended a plc in whistleblowing litigation instituted by its two most senior people in Ireland.
Acted in a seminal case which clarified the extent and application of the Transfer of Undertakings (TUPE) Regulations.

What People are saying

“Melanie Crowley is just inspirational. Her availability is exceptional.”

Chambers & Partners | 2023

“The experience of working with Melanie has always been sublime. She has in-depth knowledge of labour matters and quality and management skills that place her among market leaders.”

Chambers & Partners | 2023

Melanie has “high business acumen which means her advice is focused on commercial outcomes. She has real empathy with her clients and can understand the pressures that her clients are under”.

Legal 500 | 2023

Band 1 Employment lawyer, Melanie is recognised as “deeply pragmatic and expert in her field”.

Chambers & Partners | 2022

Melanie is a “stand out partner” who “will always go the extra mile for her clients. She is down to earth and excellent at what she does. I couldn’t recommend her more highly.”

Legal 500 | 2022

‘Leading Individual’ Melanie Crowley has “good industry-wide perspective

Legal 500 | 2021

Melanie is “is very practical, good to deal with and knows her stuff."

Chambers & Partners | 2021

People

Melanie Crowley

Workplace Exposure to Sensitive Content Guidance Published