Category: Law

Everyone has number

No matter whether you are negotiating for a bullock, a property, a car, a golf club, a pup or a divorce or personal injury claim, everyone has a number at which a deal will be struck and a case settled. It may appear to be tremendously prosaic or matter of fact or materialistic to have… Continue reading Everyone has number

Settlement meetings

I attend a good deal of settlement meetings in the course of a year’s work. Generally, they are to do with personal injury claims or divorces. One thing I have learned: whoever suggests the meeting wants a deal. Once you recognise this you are in a strong enough position, especially if it is the other… Continue reading Settlement meetings

Culture and status-easy to overlook in negotiations

I have learned over the last few years to appreciate the importance of the ideas of These nebulous concepts play vitally significant roles in the lives of ordinary people in their daily lives. A few weeks ago, in an employment termination settlement package negotiation, the question of status was what threatened to scupper a tremendously… Continue reading Culture and status-easy to overlook in negotiations

Why settle?

It can be funny when you see the reaction of an employee who has been brimming with confidence when the submission of the employer lands in my email inbox. The employee immediately panics and wants me to look for a deal. Many employees fail to recognise that in every dispute or conflict you will have… Continue reading Why settle?

One of the most important skills of cross examining a lay litigant

One of the most important skills in the cross examination of a witness is the ability to recognise when to press and when to back off. This is especially important in a forum like the WRC (Workplace Relations Commission) where you are likely to encounter lay litigants conducting their own case. You may well be… Continue reading One of the most important skills of cross examining a lay litigant

Surprise at the number of comments criticising enforcement of the planning laws

I published a video yesterday about Dublin City Council prosecuting a family who had carried out an unauthorised development (an attic conversion) on a home in Phibsboro. I am surprised about the number of comments criticising the planning authority and their decision to enforce the planning laws. I do accept, however, that there may be… Continue reading Surprise at the number of comments criticising enforcement of the planning laws

Can a licence agreement circumvent the residential tenancies board?

I have had a few queries from small landlords about using a licence arrangement to circumvent the residential tenancies board’s involvement in the arrangement they have with their tenants/licensees. They have heard from others who give their tenants licence agreements rather than tenancy agreements and licence/rent out rooms to these occupants. The enquiry to me… Continue reading Can a licence agreement circumvent the residential tenancies board?

Why there’s nothing wrong with buying repossessed property

I have made and published a few videos on my YouTube channel about buying property at BidX1, and other online, auctions. A small number of people are critical of such purchases and such auctions because they involve repossessed properties in the main, with the sales being carried out by receivers on behalf of the lender… Continue reading Why there’s nothing wrong with buying repossessed property

Reviving my online courses

A guy enquired the other day about my shares/investing course which I had online a few years ago. I stopped selling my courses (investing, property, discipline procedure in the workplace) because the platform on which I hosted them, Teachable, was prohibitively expensive. But the enquiry I received this week on Instagram has prompted me to… Continue reading Reviving my online courses