McNally’s unfair dismissal case adjourned after WRC hearing hears competing accounts of staff departures

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Joseph McNally’s unfair dismissal complaint against Ferrys Solicitors LLP remains unresolved after a Workplace Relations Commission hearing was adjourned to May. McNally alleges his October 2024 redundancy was a sham; Ferrys says it followed a proper process and that he turned down alternative work.

At the hearing, McNally’s barrister said staff departures from the firm’s Ballymun office, which he attributed to a refusal to accommodate remote working, left McNally spending time trying to retain former clients instead of developing business. Ferrys partner Barry O’Donoghue denied that account, saying there was no dispute over staff terms and that several people had been hired. He also disputed that client work had materially affected McNally’s contractual duties.

McNally’s legal team has said he agreed to merge his practice with Ferrys in early 2023 on the understanding he would become a partner within three years. Ferrys maintains that a digital marketing plan McNally proposed failed to generate substantial fee-earning business. The WRC has not yet ruled on the complaint.