Legal Issues for Small Business - Network Meeting

The next Dublin City Enterprise Network for Women meeting is on Monday 11th February 6.45pm-9pm at the Mont Clare Hotel, Merrion Square. As a business owner, one of the key areas worth informing yourself about is the law as it applies to your business.

The law plays a part in many aspects of your business, from drawing up shareholder agreements, to protecting your Intellectual Property (and ensuring that you're not infringing on someone else's), to agreeing contracts with your suppliers/customers to taking on staff. As we all know, running into legal problems can bring huge costs as well as disrupting your business and it is very wise to take steps to avoid the most typical problems. I am delighted that two of our members, who are partners in Mason Hayes Curran, have agreed to talk at the February network event on typical problems that can occur and how to avoid them. The topics they have agreed to discuss are as follows: - Commercial and Corporate Law issues facing start-ups and growing companies – Jeanne Kelly, Partner, Mason Hayes Curran. - Lessons in Employment Law - How to Get it Right from the Start - Melanie Crowley, Partner, Mason Hayes Curran. Please register for this event by emailing in advance network@dceb.ie. Background to Speakers Jeanne Kelly, Partner Jeanne is a partner in Mason Hayes+Curran's commercial group. Jeanne studied law at University College Dublin and at the Universite de Haute Normandie, Rouen, France. Jeanne joined Mason Hayes+Curran from the Intellectual Property and Information Technology Unit of another leading Irish firm. She advises both public and private clients in relation to data protection, contract, telecommunications, information technology and intellectual property issues. Jeanne has co-authored the second edition of Business Law, published by Oxford University Press. She has also co-authored a book on Irish Information Technology law by Cavendish, a book on Data Protection Law in Ireland published by Thompson Round Hall in 2004 and the Irish chapter of Le traite dessins et des modeles (Greffe, Litec, 2008, France). Jeanne is the 2008 Chairman for the LES Britain and Ireland's Irish branch. She is also a committee member of the Irish Society of European Law and an active member of the Irish Franchise Association. At the Law School of the Law Society of Ireland, Jeanne is a guest lecturer in commercial drafting, electronic commerce law, software licensing law, and data protection law. She serves on the domain names sub-committee of the International Trade Mark Association. Jeanne is a regular speaker and attender at IP law conferences in Ireland and abroad. Melanie Crowley, Partner Melanie is a partner practising in employment law. She is involved in all aspects of contentious and non-contentious employment law on both the employer and employee side. Melanie regularly assists clients in drafting employment contracts, agreements and HR policies and procedures. She also provides ongoing support to HR managers in relation to internal reorganisations and rationalisations, terminations, and audits of employment related documentation. In contentious areas, Melanie is regularly involved in employment related civil actions including injunctions, actions for breach of contract, employer liability claims and personal injury actions for stress and bullying. She regularly appears before the High and Circuit Courts and the Employment Appeals Tribunal. Melanie also regularly lectures to various organisations on employment law and the legal aspects of bullying, harassment and stress in the workplace. She is also one of the internal examiners in employment law for the Law School of the Law Society of Ireland and is a contributor to the Irish chapter of the International Expatriate Employment Handbook. Melanie is a regular attendee at international employment law conference run by the European Employment Lawyers Association and the American Bar Association. Pauline Logan Network Manager Dublin City Enterprise Network for Women Dublin City Enterprise Board 5th Floor O'Connell Bridge House D'Olier Street Dublin 2 Email: network@dceb.ie Web: http://www.dceb.ie under "Enterprising Women" Tel: 087 979 8430 Fax: 01 635 1811

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