A general and commercial litigation masterclass at the Law Society will see a raft of heavy-hitters tackle new developments for practitioners in the field.

The two-day event, on Friday 28 and Saturday 29 June, will yield ten CPD hours, including one on regulatory matters.

The course comprises lectures and small group modules delivered by experienced practitioners. It will address practice procedure, legislation, and case-law.

Topics include:

• Discovery and protecting confidential data and ‘confidentiality clubs’,
• Legal privilege, including dominant purpose, subsequent proceedings and waiver,
• Defence strategies, including security for costs, third-party notices, concurrent wrongdoers and the Civil Liability Act 1961, lodgments, tenders and written offers, including Shannon v O’Sullivan[2016] IECA 105,
• Defamation actions, including the practical application of the Defamation Act 2009; damages, including recent Court of Appeal, Supreme Court and ECtHR decisions, costs and alternative reliefs, 
• Professional negligence claims including statute of limitations and PII,
• Probate litigation including S117 claims, co-habitant claims, challenging wills and procedures,
• Mediation, including practical considerations, including the Mediation Act 2017,
• Land litigation, including adverse possession, judgement mortgages and well charging orders, and rights of way,
• Appeals (practice and procedure), including recent changes and case law. 

Speakers include:

• Solicitor Colette Reid (Law Society course manager in professional practice),
• Joe O’Malley (partner at Hayes Solicitors, Dublin) handling a wide variety of commercial litigation matters for the State, financial institution and corporate clients,
• Anne Marie Maher BL (junior counsel) with a specialist practice in chancery probate and succession law,
• Helen Kilroy, pictured, (partner at McCann FitzGerald, Dublin and a practising mediator),
• Louise O’Reilly (legal director at DAC Beachcroft, Dublin) who has defended professional negligence claims against various professionals, including architects, engineers, surveyors, solicitors, accountants, insurance brokers and financial advisers,
• Solicitor Michael Kealey who has an established reputation in defamation, privacy and privacy law, and is legal counsel to the Irish Mail on Sunday, Irish Daily Mailand associated websites,
• Paul Meagher (principal at Meagher Solicitors, Dublin) who has 35 years’ experience in media law and commercial litigation,
• Garret Flynn BL, whose practice at the Bar encompasses a broad range of contentious commercial work, with a particular emphasis on banking, insolvency and intellectual property disputes,
• Niamh McHugh BL (junior counsel) who has a general practice, with a focus on civil litigation, including land and probate law, family law and child law,
• Geraldine Manners BL (Registrar of the Court of Appeal, Dublin).

The full fee is €425, with a discounted rate of €350. Booking can be made at www.lawsociety.ie(search for ‘General and Commercial Litigation Masterclass 2019’).