Gareth McCay LL.B

Bio

Gareth is the founder and Managing Director of the firm. He was educated at Leeds University, Queen’s University and Manchester Metropolitan University. Gareth obtained a training contract with leading English firm JMW and qualified as solicitor in the jurisdictions of both England & Wales and Northern Ireland in 2008. He spent 6 years as an Associate Solicitor with a leading commercial law firm in Belfast before setting up McCay Legal in 2015. Gareth has a varied workload of employment law matters, and commercial matters.

Gareth has extensive employment law experience acting on behalf of employers and senior employees in both the Employment Tribunal and civil courts. He has taken and defended cases of Unfair Dismissal, Wrongful Dismissal, breach of contract, equal pay and various forms of discrimination including in particular sex discrimination, sexual harassment, race discrimination and religious discrimination. Gareth also advises clients on day-to-day HR matters, TUPE, termination agreements, corporate transactions, contracts of employment, service agreements and Company Handbooks. 

Gareth advises SMEs on commercial matters such as commercial contracts, contract disputes, data protection and governance. He has drafted and advised on shareholder agreements, service agreements and consultancy agreements. He has acted on both the sale and purchase of businesses via share purchase agreements and asset purchase agreements. He has drafted and acted upon share back sales and share buy back agents. He has also acted in director disputes and shareholder disputes to include taking and defending cases in Employment Tribunal, County Court and the High Court and resolving matters via mediation.

Gareth was a keen sportsman and has a keen interest in sports law having been instrumental in setting up the sports law department in his previous practice. Gareth has presented a seminar on sports law in conjunction with Queen’s University and the Law Society and has acted on behalf of professional sportsmen, managers, clubs and sponsors in relation to contractual matters.

Gareth has advised on merchandise agents involving GAA, League of Ireland and English professional clubs. 

Outside of the office, Gareth sits on the board of the Ryan McBride Foundation and on the board of the Strabane Bid. Having suffered a spinal injury in 2010, Gareth has spoken at events across the world regarding recovery from spinal injury and life with a disability.