William Fry's Legal Podcast

In this episode of Lunchtime AI, Technology Partner Dr Barry Scannell is joined by leading Irish tech entrepreneur Sean Blanchfield, founder of Jentic, to explore the rapid shift from AI copilots to fully autonomous agentic AI systems.

Technology entrepreneur and media innovator Mark Little joins William Fry's Dr Barry Scannell for a wide‑ranging Lunchtime AI conversation on the future of the internet, artificial intelligence and democracy. Drawing on his experience as founder of Storyful, former Twitter executive and co‑founder of Kinzen, Mark explores how the open internet lost its way, why AI risks repeating the same mistakes, and what a new digital civil rights movement must deliver.  

Ai expert and Technology Partner Dr. Barry Scannell sits down with Dr. Laura Caroli,  former Senior Policy Advisor at the European Parliament and co‑rapporteur on the EU AI Act, for an insider's look at how the world's most ambitious AI regulation was negotiated, rewritten, challenged, and finally agreed. A must‑listen for anyone working in AI, tech policy, or digital regulation.

Join Barry Scannell as he goes through everything that happened in 2025 from an AI law and policy perspective.  

This Lunchtime AI podcast from William Fry features a focused conversation between William Fry's Dr Barry Scannell and Professor Alan Smeaton, one of Ireland's most respected AI researchers. The discussion explains how memorisation in large models has moved to the centre of recent copyright rulings in Europe and the United States. It then examines the rapid emergence of agentic AI and what these systems mean for governance, risk management and real use in professional settings.

In Episode 3 of our Planning Ahead podcast series, Michelle Martin, Partner in the Environment & Planning team at William Fry LLP, is joined once again by Senior Counsel David Browne SC to explore one of the most talked about aspects of the Planning and Development Act 2024 — the reform of judicial review procedures

Michelle Martin, a partner in the Environment & Planning team at William Fry is joined by planning consultant Luke Wymer to discuss the planning policy reforms proposed by the 2024 Act, particularly the emphasis on a plan-led approach. and the evolving hierarchy of national, regional and local plans. Episode 2 is available below

If you're a developer navigating Ireland's planning landscape, this mini-series if for you.  Michelle Martin, a partner in the Environment & Planning team at William Fry, hosts David Browne, Senior Counsel and Gavin Lawlor, planning consultant and the current President of the Irish Planning Institute, to discuss the Planning and Development Act 2024, which represents the most comprehensive overhaul of planning law in two decades.

Technology Department Consultant Susan Walsh and Morgan Flanagan-Creagh explore the critical topic of supply chain security under the NIS2 Directive. Understand the importance of managing risks in your supply chain, establishing security policies, and ensuring compliance with cybersecurity standards and contractual protections. A must-listen for anyone involved in legal, procurement and vendor management.  

In this episode, Technology Department Consultant Susan Walsh and Morgan Flanagan-Creagh discuss the expanded responsibilities for directors and senior management under the NIS2 Directive. Discover the implications for governance, enforcement, and supervision, and learn how to navigate these new requirements. Essential listening for board members and senior executives.

Technology Department Consultant Susan Walsh and Morgan Flanagan-Creagh delve into the incident notification regime under the NIS2 Directive. Learn about the multi-stage notification process, what constitutes a significant incident, and practical steps for ensuring compliance. Perfect for in-house lawyers, C-suite executives, and board members.  

This is the second episode in the William Fry Cyber Insights Series.  Susan Walsh, Consultant and Rachel Hayes, Partner discuss the new cybersecurity requirements for organisations under NIS2 and what steps they should take to comply.  

In the first episode of William Fry's Cyber Insights podcast series, Rachel Hayes, partner and Susan Walsh, consultant discuss the EU's second Network and Information Security Directive and which sectors and organisations will be in scope.

Knowledge lawyers Gail Nohilly and Tara Rush discuss developments in the auto-enrolment retirement savings system.

Knowledge lawyers Tara Rush and Gail Nohilly discuss a recent Central Bank announcement regarding fines imposed on a payment institution for breaching the European Union (Payment Services) Regulations 2018 requirements.   

Knowledge lawyers Aisling Doran and Jane Balfe discuss Ireland's new National Payments Strategy, which the Department of Finance recently launched.

Knowledge lawyers Jane Balfe and Aisling Doran discuss how a court has recently considered arbitration agreements. Specifically, how in June 2024, the Privy Council delivered an important decision on the treatment of arbitration agreements in insolvency cases in Sian Participation Corp (In Liquidation) v Halimeda International Ltd.

Technology partner and AI specialist Barry Scannell speaks with Richard Green,  DPO & Director EMEA Privacy Counsel for Autodesk about the intersection of data protection and AI.

Technology partner Barry Scannell spoke with Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation, Dara Calleary for the latest episode of William Fry's Legal Podcast. On the episode Barry and Minister Calleary discuss the AI Act and Ireland's role in AI regulation, Ireland's National AI strategy, as well as Government supports and incentives, collaboration with multinationals and much more.

Knowledge lawyers Aisling Doran and Tara Rush discuss the recent Circuit Court decision that looked at what rent is payable when a commercial tenant claims statutory renewal rights and then withdraws the claim.

Knowledge lawyer's Aisling Doran and Tara Rush discuss the provisions in the Companies (Corporate Governance, Enforcement and Regulatory Provisions) Bill 2024 that aim to enhance the powers of Ireland's Corporate Enforcement Authority (CEA).

Barry Scannell and Kai Zenner, the Head of Office and Digital Policy Advisor to MEP Axel Voss have an in-depth conversation on the new EU AI Act. 

In this podcast, William Fry partner and AI expert Barry Scannell talks all things AI with Microsoft's National Technology Officer, Kieran McCorry, who shares his insights on AI and deep dives into Microsoft Copilot. 

In this episode, Gail Nohilly and Heather Taylor from our Knowledge department examine miscellaneous changes to the provisions around the realisation of assets of companies in liquidation under the Companies Act 2014 recently introduced under the Employment (Collective Redundancies and Miscellaneous Provisions) and Companies (Amendment) Act 2024.

In this episode, Gail Nohilly and Heather Taylor from our Knowledge department discuss a High Court decision refusing an application to join a co-defendant where defamation proceedings against that party were statute-barred.

Barry Scannell sits down with Citi's Prag Sharma to chat about how Citi is going about implementing AI, and what companies should be considering when embarking on their AI governance and compliance journeys.

In this third episode of the William Fry Legal Podcast miniseries on DORA, the Fintech team look at how businesses should approach implementing DORA and provide some practical initial steps to compliance.  Please note that while every attempt has been made to ensure the accuracy of this content, this podcast is provided for general information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.

In the second episode of our Pride podcast mini-series, Katie Keegan speaks with Philippa Ryder, a transgender woman, author, and activist who is the current Chairperson of Dublin Pride. Katie and Philippa discuss the role of allyship in creating an inclusive workplace. LGBTQ+ allyship refers to the actions, behaviours, and practices that people take to support, amplify, and advocate with members of the LGBTQ+ community. Katie and Philippa explore how organisation can strengthen allyship in their workplace.

In this second episode of the William Fry Legal Podcast miniseries on DORA, the Fintech team take an in-depth look at one of the key themes of DORA – ICT Third-Party Risk Management and Contract Remediation.  The team cover obligations for financial entities under the pillar of ICT Third Party Risk Management including the register of information requirements and the impact DORA has on ICT services contracts and provide practical and realistic steps on how these impacts can be addressed going forward.  Please note that while every attempt has been made to ensure the accuracy of this content, this podcast is provided for general information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.

So, how does AI work, exactly? Barry Scannell is joined by Professor Alan Smeaton, one of Ireland's top AI experts and a member of the Government's AI Advisory Council, for an explainer on some of the technical elements of artificial intelligence and large language models.

In this first episode of the William Fry Legal Podcast miniseries focusing on DORA, our Fintech team provide an overview of DORA, including the rationale behind its adoption and who it applies to, and discuss some of its key themes.  Please note that while every attempt has been made to ensure the accuracy of this content, this podcast is provided for general information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.

To kick off Pride Month William Fry is delighted to bring you our Pride+ two-part podcast.  Pride celebrates people coming together in love and friendship, to show how far LGBTQ+ rights have come, and to highlight where progress is still needed. In this podcast mini-series, Katie Keegan speaks with Philippa Ryder, a transgender woman, author, and activist who is the current Chairperson of Dublin Pride. In episode one, Katie and Philippa discuss authenticity and work. They explore how employers and colleagues can embrace LGBTQ+ inclusion in the workplace.

Employment miniseries – in this episode on misconduct dismissals, Maeve Griffin and Katie Keegan of our Employment & Benefits Group discuss the substantive and procedural aspects of misconduct dismissals, the risks that employers should be mindful of when dismissing on the grounds of misconduct and some of the common queries that we receive from employers when carrying out a disciplinary process. 

In this episode, Aisling Doran and Jane Balfe from our Knowledge department discuss the commencement of the Representative Actions for the Protection of the Collective Interests of Consumers Act 2023.

In this episode, Jane Balfe and Aisling Doran from our Knowledge department examine the recent announcement by the Central Bank of Ireland signalling a change in its approach to registering Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASPs) and authorising Crypto Asset Service Providers (CASPs) in Ireland.

Employment miniseries – in this episode focusing on redundancies Ben Conway and Ellen O'Duffy of our Employment and Benefits Group discuss the processes for implementing individual and collective redundancies, the associated risks for non-compliance with such processes, redundancy payments, and provide top tips for employers to follow when implementing redundancies.

Employment miniseries – in this episode on probation related dismissals Jenny Martin and Oisín O' Callaghan of our Employment and Benefits Group discuss current best practice for managing dismissals during probationary periods; provide practical advice on the distinction between performance and misconduct dismissals during probation and list key takeaways for employers.

In this episode knowledge lawyer Gail Nohilly speaks with Jenny Martin of our Employment team about protected disclosures, also known as whistle-blowing. This episode highlights the important amendments introduced in 2023 by the Protected Disclosures Amendment Act 2022 and provides lots of practical advice to organisations on how to comply with their obligations and mitigate the risks of potential claims.

Discussing key topics, such as AI governance, data protection, intellectual property, cybersecurity and the AI act, are Leo Moore (Head of William Fry's Technology group), Barry Scannell (Partner, AI and Technology) and Rachel Hayes (Partner, Data Protection and AI).   In addition to identifying key legal considerations, the team discusses practical solutions that companies should consider and implement as they embark on their AI journeys.  For more on anything covered or AI related please contact reach out to there team here

In this episode Tara Rush and Gail Nohilly from our Knowledge department look at the recent High Court decision looking at a director and consultant's personal liability for company debts which highlighted the factors a court may have regard to in holding a director personally liable for the debts of a company.

In this episode Tara Rush and Gail Nohilly from our Knowledge department discuss at recent Supreme Court Decision looking at personal injury guidelines which have resulted in sizeable reductions in assessments, described as "a radical top-down recalibration of general damages for pain and suffering".

As part of William Fry's Food Beverage & Agribusiness podcast miniseries, Jenny Martin, a senior associate in the Employment & Benefits department discusses the use of agency workers by employers within the sector. Hiring workers through an employment agency, often for seasonal work, can provide great flexibility.  However, businesses must be aware of their obligations towards these agency workers in order to ensure they afford them the same basic employment conditions as anyone they employ directly.

 In this month's Legal News podcast, Knowledge lawyers Jane Balfe and Julie Murray discuss the Central Bank of Ireland's proposals to revise the Consumer Protection Code and the draft guidelines issued recently by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment on the new investment screening regime.

Annah Kenna from William Fry's Technology department discusses key intellectual property rights issues impacting the Food, Beverage & Agribusiness sector in the second episode of this miniseries.  This episode focuses on the importance of intellectual property rights including trademarks, design rights, copyright, patents, and trade secrets legislation.  Annah also considers in particular protected geographical indications, designations of origin and traditional speciality guaranteed IP rights. 

Laura Casey, an associate in the Technology department discusses data protection and cyber security issues in the context of the sector. In this episode Laura considers how these issues have become an increasingly critical priority in recent times with the rollout of sweeping regulations like the NIS2 Directive and the GDPR.

In a detailed discussion with Morgan Flanagan Creagh, Corporate partner Mark Talbot delves into the intricacies of William Fry's 2023 M&A Review. Mark looks at deal values and volumes, the dynamics of private equity activity, the origins of Ireland's M&A investments, and forecasts for the year 2024.

Our knowledge lawyers discuss some interesting developments in mandatory retirement ages in Ireland and exclusive jurisdiction clauses under the Brussels I Recast Regulation. 

AI law expert and consultant in William Fry's Technology Department, Barry Scannell, has a deep dive chat about the AI Act with Kai Zenner, Head of Office and Digital Policy Adviser for MEP Axel Voss. Kai Zenner is currently involved in negotiations at an EU level on the AI Act,  AI Liability Directive, E-Privacy regulation and GDPR.

In the first episode for Legal News 2024, knowledge lawyers Aisling Doran and Gail Nohilly discuss cross border conversions of companies and the Digital Services Bill 2023, which is the next step towards the full implementation of the EU Services Act. 

Leo Moore, partner and Head of William Fry's Technology, Data and Comms sector looks forward into 2024 and discusses some of the upcoming changes to expect throughout the year.