Employment Law Seminars - Legal-Island
About Us
Legal-Island
|
Legal-Island is a multi-award winning training and information company working in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. We specialise in all matters relevant to today's work force in both jurisdictions. Each year we call on the services of more than 100 lawyers and HR experts to deliver in-house training, seminars and large conferences addressing key developments relevant to the world of work. Our employment law email service is written by top law firms and is now relied on by hundreds of organisations throughout the Island of Ireland to keep abreast of important developments relating to labour law. |
|
|
Each year Legal-Island donates a substantial amount of money to charity. This is money raised by fund raising activities of Legal-Island staff or by direct contributions made by the company. Presently, the company funds directly a number of charitable causes in Malawi. For latest news on these activities go to Malawian activities Legal-Island are members of Rospa and a number of staff including two company directors are Advanced Drivers. To find out more about Legal-Island visit our company blog. We'll keep you up to date on what's happening within the company, who we're meeting and networking with and any events that may be of interest to you. |
|
| In June 2009 Legal-Island won The Irish News Workplace and Employment Best Place to Work (SME) Award and the Most Innovative Employer Award. |
Legal-Island is fully recognised as an Investors in People organisation.
 |
 |
Employee Profiles
-
Name:
Barry Phillips Position:
Managing Director Biography:
Barry qualified as a barrister in 1993 and worked first in criminal law in London. Later he specialised in employment law in Northern Ireland and Ireland. He has worked at the European Parliament, the European Court of Human Rights and the ILO in Geneva. He has a PhD from the University of Glasgow and an MBA from the University of Ulster.
Barry was born in St Helens Lancashire but ended up a badminton & tennis star at school rather than a rugby league man.
Barry was sacked from his first ever job as a paperboy for requesting a 20p increase in his weekly wage to £2.50p.
In his spare time however he still dreams of his centre court clash with Bjorn Borg that never was.
To keep up with Barry why not access his personal blog or Twitter?
View Barry's training portfolio
-
Name:
James Dyer Position:
Finance Biography:
James has been with Legal-Island since August 2006. As a company accountant with many years' experience in the distribution industry, throughout Ireland, he has helped co-ordinate the successful growth of the company over recent years.
Aside from his keen interest in figures, James claims to have a talent for most racket sports, and many years ago was a bit of a crack shot with a rifle. These days though he prefers to go to the gym when he's not injured playing football.View James's training portfolio
-
Name:
Kerry Taggart Position:
Conference Manager NI Biography:
Kerry was born and brought up in "the counry" in a wee village called Halftown between Doagh and Ballymena. She Graduated from the University of Ulster with a 2:1 BA (Hons) in Busines Studies and Japanese.
As a child she belonged to the local girls brigade and won so many badges she had to have a uniform with extra long sleeves by the time she left.
For 8 years she played the Tuba in the school brass band and still holds the record for the fastest rendition of Guantanamera by any pupil on a wind instrument.
In her spare time she likes to read and watch old black & white films shop or spend time with family and friends. And is curently teaching herself to juggle!
View Kerry's training portfolio
-
Name:
Scott Alexander Position:
Head of Training & Development Biography:
Scott was born and brought up in Edinburgh, Scotland, but has lived for many years in Northern Ireland. Scott is Head of Training and Development at Legal-Island.
He previously worked in industrial relations in Scotland and was a Senior Employment Relations Officer with the Labour Relations Agency in
Northern Ireland. His duties have included individual and collective conciliation, advisory services, training officer, running the enquiry point and being the arbitration secretary. He was also a NIPSA trade union lay official.Scott writes the weekly review of employment law developments emails for Legal-Island's NI update services and designs our Northern Ireland events, as well as being a regular speaker.
His claim to fame is that he can wiggle his ears like a butterfly's wings; a habit he rarely practices by oceans for his own safety.
Scott suffers from Jokegraphobia, a rare psychiatric complaint that has you convinced that colleagues are always trying to play tricks on you (all of them hilarious!).
He's getting married this year but has yet to ask Kerry to event organise his wedding or indeed tell his colleagues the date or venue or even the name of his so-called "fiancee".
Scott has a degree in economics, a diploma in management practice and passed his CIPD exams so far back it was known as the IPM.
View Scott's training portfolio
-
Name:
Radek Wyszynski Position:
Director of ITC Biography:
Radek came to Northern Ireland when Poland joined the EU in 2004. He barely spoke English and knew no-one here. Since then he's serviced the ITC requirements of Legal-Island across two offices, three web sites and more changes than he cares to remember.
Legal-Island believes he is the first migrant worker from Poland to be made a director of a company in Northern Ireland. His coronation took place on 10 January 2009.
Radek is a gadget man and is Fermanagh's answer to "Q" in the Bond movies. His latest fascination is South America and its languages.
-
Name:
Heather Stewart Position:
Conference Manager - ROI Biography:
Heather received her 2.1 in BA (Hons) Hospitality Management along with a Diploma in Industrial Studies from the University of Ulster in June 2007. She has recently been promoted to Conference Manager for the Republic of Ireland.
She joined Legal-Island in October 2008 from the Hilton Group. Her claim to fame is that she once did room service for the Dali Lama.
Heather's favourite film is Top Gun though Officer and a Gentleman is a close second. She enjoys more leisurely past-times such as shopping and socialising with friends.
View Heather's training profile
-
Name:
Donna Kirkpatrick Position:
Office Manager Biography:
Donna is Office Manager Legal-Island.
When she was young she knew she was destined for greatness when she won a writing competition at primary school to Bernie Winters and his dog Snorbitz.
Brought up in the blooming village of Broughshane, the “Garden village of Ulster” she now lives with her husband, two children Tom aged 3 and Emily 8 months down on the farm.
A former Ballymena Hockey star Donna now likes to relax by socialising with friends, reading funny Irish novels and doing pilates! Currently reading War & Peace Donna's claim to fame is that she is related to the very man who introduced turnips into Peru! Strange but true!
In 1997 Donna obtained an HND in Food, Consumer Studies and Marketing Management.
In 1999 Donna successfully completed a BA (Hons) Consumer Studies attaining a 2:1 qualification.
Donna decided to go back to studying and went on the Premiere Graduate Management Development Programme in 2001.
View Donna's training portfolio
-
Name:
Julie McCloskey Position:
Email Service Manager & Finance Assistant Biography:
Julie manages our Email Service and also works in the company finance department. She's currently working towards her first qualification in finance under the watchful eye of the finance manager.
Julie glides around the office and remains calm and composed at all times. Nothing seems to make her flap except possibly the thought of a night in having to watch the football with her partner.
View Julie' training portfolio
-
Name:
Jayne Finlay Position:
Events Director Biography:
Jayne was born and brought up in Northern Ireland although she lived abroad in Scotland for a while. She graduated from The University of Edinburgh with a 2.1 MA (Hons) in Business Studies.
Jayne continued her studies after leaving University and qualified with a Professional Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing from The Chartered Institute of Marketing.
As an advanced driver you wont catch her driving the wrong way round a round about but you might catch her going the wrong way to Dublin!
Jayne's a gym bunny in her spare time although she likes to do her bit to counteract the credit crunch by shopping as much as she can.
View Jayne's training portfolio
-
Name:
Pamela Park Position:
Marketing Officer Biography:
Pamela holds a first class honours degree in Communication Advertising and Marketing and Diploma in Professional Practice with commendation.
Pamela was brought up in Islandmagee, a peninsula on the east coast of County Antrim near Larne. She grew up with one sister, one brother and a black Labrador called Millie. In her teens she cut quite a figure driving a red convertible Citroen Diane and life she says has never been quite as good since. Stuck for a lift she once drove her husband's tractor to work. Now she arrives in style in her own VW.
View Pamela's training portfolio
Pamela is currently on maternity leave and we are looking forward to the arrival of another 'Islander'!
-
Name:
Michelle Horrobin Position:
Marketing Officer Biography:
Michelle received her BA (Hons) Marketing Management & Sociology degree from Oxford Brookes University in 1999 and has 10 years marketing experience. She is also a qualified graphic designer - both in printed artwork and web design.
Michelle was born in Aldershot, England and at 6 months old her parents moved to Germany where she spent 15 years – all over the North-Rhine-Westphalia. Before moving back to England and Swindon, Wiltshire for ten years (many of these no doubt negotiating that awful roundabout!). She met her husband when she was 10 and he was 8. "He was my brother’s best mate back then and such a pest.." laments Michelle.
A HUGE Bon Jovi fan (much to her husbands' disappointment) she regularly travels the world to see them in concert and has been known to go from England to Germany on consective nights! She is now currently planning her next trip to see them play in the O2 in London in June 2010.
View Michelle's training portfolio
-
Name:
Phyllis McMahon Position:
PA to Director Biography:
Behind every great man there's a great woman....Phyllis is responsible for keeping the MD on the road.
Phyllis was born in Co Tyrone, educated in Co. Armagh and now lives and works in Co Antrim.
She once met Judith Chalmers and Nicolas Parsons at a dinner. The food apparently was really good.
In her spare time Phyllis likes to read thriller novels, potter in her garden and go to the pictures to see all the latest movies.
Her two lovely grand-children live in Britain whom she visits whenever she can.
The first record she ever bought was Tie a yellow ribbon round the old oak tree. Does anyone remember it!!!
View Phyllis's training portfolio
-
Name:
Vanessa Porter Position:
Senior Administrator Biography:
Vanessa currently has two men in her life. One her husband James. The other is Brady their golden retriever dog. It is said that both compete for her attention when she finishes work.
Vanessa currently holds the Northern Ireland record for plate spinning managing to keep an impressive 48 going for five whole minutes.
View Vanessa's training portfolio
-
Name:
Jacqui McCaughan Position:
Credit Control Biography:
Jacqui comes to Legal-Island after spending numerous years with the Home Office. She is in charge of the company's credit control function (part-time).
Jacqui was brought up in County Tipperary but now lives in Randalstown with her husband Joe and two children.
She enjoys walking and listening to music especially the Mull of Kintyre by Wings which was her first record.
A former long jump champion Jacqui's greatest claim to fame is that she is a distant cousin of Boy George.
View Jacqui's training portfolio
-
Name:
Arnold Majcher Position:
Careman & Conference Assistant Biography:
Arnold is the Careman and Conference Assistant for Legal-Island. He came to Northern Ireland in March 2005 and joined the company in September 2009. He has previous experience in conferences within hotels in Italy.
If Arnold had been in the film The Great Escape he would have played the role of The Fixer for there is nothing this man cannot fix - usually with a hair clip or coat hanger wire.
View Arnold's Training Portfolio
-
Name:
Peter Fitzpatrick Position:
Marketing Officer Biography:
Peter graduated from the University of Ulster, Jordanstown with a 2:1 BSc (Hons) in Business Studies in 2008. Brought up in Belfast, Peter enjoys almost every sport going, but mostly playing football (and supporting Leeds United). His idea of relaxation is either watching football or the odd trip to the gym.
His greatest claim to fame is that he once drove the Ford Escort Mark II Rally Car, and claims to have eaten 8 slices of toast inside one minute.
-
Name:
Ainsley Hirst Position:
Senior Marketing Executive Biography:
Ainsley was born in Leicester, England and brought up near the small market town of Grantham, the birthplace of Margaret Thatcher and Sir Isaac Newton.
Following in the footsteps of these academics, he graduated with a BA (Hons) in Business Studies with Marketing from the University of Northumbria and after a stint in London, Ainsley relocated to Northern Ireland in 2002.
With over 10 years Marketing experience, he has worked in a number of industries including market research, retail, utilities, design and the public sector.
He plays football in his spare time and has a healthy obsession for watches. During his university days, Ainsley had a part-time job as a professional 70’s disco dancer on the Newcastle (Upon-Tyne) club scene.
