Nuala Clayton

Partner

Nuala is Head of our Employment & Benefits Department.

Nuala Clayton

Nuala’s expertise encompasses contentious and non-contentious employment advices with a particular specialism is employment litigation. Nuala also advises in respect of workplace health and safety law. Nuala advises a range of multinationals, public and private sector employers advising on a variety of employment and health and safety matters. Nuala has significant experience acting for clients both before the Workplace Relations Commission, the Labour Court and the Superior Courts.

Nuala regularly contributes articles for media and professional publications and lectures on the Law Society’s Employment Law diploma course.

Nuala is a committee member of both the Employment Law Association of Ireland and the Health and Safety Lawyers’ Association of Ireland.

Recent significant matters include advising:

  • Boots (Retail) Ireland in the successful defence of alleged breaches of the statutory working time regime.
  • An employer in proceedings before the Labour Court which led to a landmark decision on the definition of “date of dismissal” under Irish law.
  • Kilsaran Concrete in the defence of a prosecution following a workplace fatality. The Court of Criminal Appeal’s judgment is the leading Irish decision on sentencing in matters of health and safety law.
2026 Legal 500 EMEA
2026 Chambers Europe
2025 Chambers Europe
2024 Legal 500 EMEA

Practice Areas

Health & Safety
Employment, Pensions & Incentives
Employment
Employment, Pensions & Incentives

Related Sectors

Food, Beverage & Agribusiness

Related Knowledge

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Article and Insights

The Future of Hybrid Work: Balancing Flexibility & Productivity

Half of large employers likely to set fixed in-office days by 2027, according to William Fry Future of Hybrid Work report

Nuala Clayton
Partner
Nuala Clayton
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Article and Insights

Video Series: Employment Law Essentials

In this video series, members of William Fry’s Employment, Pensions & Incentives team break down the essentials that every employer should understand.

Nuala Clayton
Partner
Nuala Clayton
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Article and Insights

Navigating the Updated Code of Practice on Access to Part-Time Working

A brief guide to understanding key changes to the updated Code and how they impact access to part-time work.

Nuala Clayton
Partner
Nuala Clayton
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Article and Insights

Employment & Pensions Developments: A round-up of 2025

We look back on the key developments across Irish employment and pensions law in 2025

Nuala Clayton
Partner
Nuala Clayton
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Article and Insights

The Workplace Relations Act 2015: A Ten-Year Retrospective

Ten years on, the Workplace Relations Act 2015 has transformed Ireland's employment dispute resolution and rights enforcement landscape.

Nuala Clayton
Partner
Nuala Clayton
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Article and Insights

AI on the Job: How AI is Re-Shaping Employment Law

AI is transforming employment law through stricter regulation, transparency rules and mandatory oversight in workplace decision-making, but it does...

Nuala Clayton
Partner
Nuala Clayton
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Article and Insights

Testing the Strength of the Right to Request Remote Work Arrangements

Recent WRC decisions may make it difficult for employees to resist calls for a return to the office.

Nuala Clayton
Partner
Nuala Clayton
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Article and Insights

DEI: Diversity, Equality and Inclusion to the fore of new draft employment legislation

The Irish Government has published proposals for draft legislation that, among other things, implements parts of the Pay Transparency Directive and...

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Article and Insights

WRC Publish Code of Practice on the Right to Request Flexible and Remote Working

The Workplace Relations Commission published a Code of Practice on the Right to Request Flexible and Remote Working

Nuala Clayton
Partner
Nuala Clayton
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Article and Insights

Mandatory Retirement Ages in Ireland: The Importance of Objective Justification

Objective justifications for the enforcement of mandatory retirement ages must be assessed on an individual basis

Nuala Clayton
Partner
Nuala Clayton
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