Company Law

McCann FitzGerald partner Garreth O'Brien and senior associate Heather McMahon consider a significant High Court decision on company law. For the first time, the High Court has pierced the corporate veil to make directors and shadow directors personally liable for the fraud of a company.

Eamon Jones and Clare Dowling of LK Shields consider a recent court ruling on minority shareholder oppression and costs. A recent decision of the Court of Appeal showcases the potential of section 212 of the Companies Act 2014, which provides for remedies for shareholders in cases of oppression, upo

Richard Gray, partner and head of corporate at Belfast-based Carson McDowell, welcomes new clarity on creditor duty. The UK Supreme Court considered the existence, content, and engagement of ‘creditor duty’ for the first time ever in the matter of BTI 2014 LLC (Appellant) v Sequana SA an

Matthew Austin, partner at Hayes solicitors, examines a court ruling clarifying directors' duties under the law. In the recent case of Fennell v Appelbe, both the High Court and the Court of Appeal confirmed the restriction of a director of an insolvent company for a period of five years. The courts

Pinsent Masons partner Neil Keenan has been appointed to the Company Law Review Group (CLRG). Following his appointment by Leo Varadkar, the Tánaiste and minster for enterprise, trade and employment, Mr Keenan will serve as the Law Society of Ireland's representative on the group for a f

Darryl Broderick of RDJ LLP writes on a recent Court of Appeal decision concerning directors' obligations under the Companies Act. Section 819 of the Companies Act 2014 operates to restrict directors of insolvent companies from being appointed or acting as a director or secretary of a company and fr

The new Corporate Enforcement Authority (CEA), empowered to crack down on corporate wrongdoing, has been formally established from today. The statutory independent agency, created under the Companies (Corporate Enforcement Authority) Act 2021, is charged with investigating and prosecuting breac

A consultation has been launched on proposals for a new legislative framework for co-operative societies. The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment is seeking the view of interested parties on certain aspects being considered for inclusion in a forthcoming bill.

Landmark legislation to transform the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement (ODCE) into a statutory and independent Corporate Enforcement Authority (CEA) has cleared the Oireachtas. The Companies (Corporate Enforcement Authority) Bill 2021 will now be sent to the president for his signatur

Legislation allowing Irish companies to hold their AGMs online during the Covid-19 pandemic has been extended to the end of April 2022. The interim period of the Companies (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Covid-19) Act 2020, which makes temporary amendments to the Companies Act 2014 and the Industrial an

A new process allowing the vast majority of companies in Ireland to be rescued without applying to the courts has come into effect.

The deadline for companies filing their annual returns has been extended to 9 December 2021 in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The Companies Registration Office (CRO) said the two-week extension had been made "in light of difficulties experienced by some small accountancy firms in meeting the fil

The government has denied that there is a conflict of interest between Paul Gallagher SC's role as Attorney General and his work for the former directors of Independent News & Media (INM). It emerged this week that Mr Gallagher continued, following his appointment as Attorney General, to advise

Eversheds Sutherland has announced the appointment of Liam Boyle as head of company secretarial in Ireland. Mr Boyle joins the firm from another corporate law firm in Dublin where he was a manager in the company secretarial department. Prior to this, he served in two leading global corporate service

McCann FitzGerald partner Audrey Byrne and senior associate Áine Murphy consider a recent High Court judgment which provides useful clarity on contributories’ inspection rights arising in a liquidation under Sections 631 and 684 of the Companies Act 2014. In a recent judgment, which pro